Daybreak
by Macx
Summary: Mewtwo hadn't come away from the whole mess unscathed. He had been captured, held against his will, isolated, and then his mind had been invaded by force, nearly erasing him. He expended an incredible amount of psychic energy to undo the wrong in Ryme City. What he needs is a safe haven. Because when his shields finally break apart, he needs someone he can trust implicitly.
1. Chapter 1

This happened a day after I watched Detective Pikachu. I've loved Mewtwo, from the day I saw the first Pokémon movie (and cried my eyes out like so many did, I suppose, with that one scene in the end). The character is right up my alley.

The live-action movie version had me hooked again.

I've never played a single game, I haven't followed the series at all, but that hasn't stopped me. I needed to write this.

For those who read my stuff in the past, you know what's coming: it's a massive canon divergence and just me working with what my brain is throwing at me. Absolute AU!

So be gentle.

XxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxX

The streets were still littered with torn apart parade balloons, broken glass, rubble and whatever trash had been left behind as people dazedly went home or to a medical center. Small fires had been put out, roads closed, and trains had stopped for now. Police was securing evidence, reporters flocked around and tried to get good shots, and Pokémon were viewing the mess with sometimes confused eyes, muttering to themselves.

This year's Pokémon Day Parade would forever go down in Ryme City's history.

Not because it had been lavish and excelling all that had come before.

Not because it had more attendees or participants than any of the prior ones.

Not because if featured new parade balloon or celebrated a special anniversary.

No. It would be the one remembered as the day Howard Clifford, the great visionary and philanthropist, had tried to do something unspeakable to the human and Pokémon population of the city.

Merge a human consciousness with a Pokémon body, assimilating both into one. Because he had had the insane idea that it would make humans better, give them access to the evolutionary powers of the Pokémon, enable them to evolve themselves.

No one knew the whole truth yet.

No one knew who had helped foil that plan, who had freed Mewtwo, who had saved the city.

No one ever would, even if Lucy Stevens had wanted to run exclusive interviews and reports. In the end she had agreed that some matters should remain in the dark. Like the identity of Tim Goodman, as well as his father, and she would skirt around the appearance of Mewtwo a little. All the public needed to know was that Howard Clifford had abducted and experimented on this unique Pokémon.

The numerous Pokémon affected by the whole mind-transfer knew. They had felt the psychic energy, had recognized it on an instinctual level as something incredible. Not that they would tell anyone. Aside from other Pokémon.

So word spread among the Pokémon population, but the humans remained ignorant of the true events.

XxXxXxX

Nothing ever came without a consequence.

He could have wiped their minds, but he hadn't. He could have altered everyone's reality, their recollection of this day and the days before, but it had been like an instinct to leave the horrible events present in their memories as the people of Ryme City came to terms with what had occurred.

What he had done was reunite a father and his son.

Because Harry Goodman had earned his thanks. He might have started out as one of the many looking for a powerful Pokémon to claim, but he and his Pikachu had saved him in the end. He had made a mistake, like so many had, but he had atoned himself.

Mewtwo watched the two humans and the Pikachu, tracking their minds, finding nothing wrong with either of them. Transferring Harry's self back into his body had been rather… simple. There was nothing complicated about such a transfer, especially since the road had already been paved for it.

Just like undoing all that had been done to Pokémon and humans alike in Ryme City. Clifford had prepared them for Mewtwo's powers to work on such a grand scale, to easily separate human and Pokémon bodies and minds; after his own powers had fused them. It was all energy in the end, and the drug had been the catalyst.

It had drained him in the end, weakening his barriers, reminding Mewtwo that he had suffered in this battle as well. More than most, probably, aside from the human who had indirectly helped him. But where Tim Goodman's injuries were physical, Mewtwo's were on a psychic level.

High on adrenaline, endorphins racing through his systems, he hadn't felt the discomfort of his abused form. But now he did. Greatly. He felt his battered mind, the broken pieces everywhere, and he longed to crawl into a dark place and just… be. His psychic energy was vastly depleted and he was more vulnerable than he would ever confess to.

It was one of many reasons why he disappeared the moment he had brought back Harry.

He needed a safe haven to recover.

Not a dark hole. No. What he needed was another mind, a safe mind. Someone he trusted implicitly.

XxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxX

_"Cooperate and we won't hurt your human friend."_

_Something inside him twisted sharply and fury boiled up. ::If you touch him…!::_

_The smile was cold and cruel. "Do you really think you could stop us? We already neutralized your powers." The man leaned closer, the cruel streak of his voice reflecting in his eyes. "We can neutralize him as well. One word and he'll lose an eye, or a finger, maybe the ability to walk?" The smile was downright nasty. "Or we can take his friends and family first, make him watch, tell him it was your decision. Then, if you still resist, it will be him. Slowly."_

_He screamed in his mind, his shackled and crippled mind, his powers nothing but a memory. _

_"Do you want him to suffer?"_

_Mewtwo had never been closer than now to consider killing a human in cold blood. He felt it down to his very soul, that vicious hatred, that darkness that wanted to overwhelm his thinking._

_"I thought so," the despicable human said and straightened back in his chair. He nodded at a woman in a lab coat. "He will be very cooperative, Dr. Laurent."_

_Give him a second. Just one second with his powers. He would eradicate the human from this world!_

_But he didn't get a second. Not even a fraction of it. _

_And with the threat to his human partner, Mewtwo cooperated._

_He surrendered to the pain and humiliation, the inhuman treatments and being viewed as nothing but a lab animal._

XxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxXXxXxXxX

It had been too long.

Way too long.

So much time had passed and yet it had been just mere months. But those months had been spent trapped, isolated, held against his will, tortured as they extracted blood, cells and whatever else they needed out of his imprisoned form. They had used a sentient being as nothing but a living donor, milking him for his DNA.

Mewtwo had come to loathe scientists early on in his artificially created life and he would never trust them. What they did hurt. Those atrocious deeds had scarred him for life and humanity had been his enemy.

PCL, the Pokémon Comprehensive Laboratories, hadn't helped change that image. They had actually made it so much worse.

Humans meant only pain, never comfort and joy.

That, the unconditional support, joy, comfort and warmth, he had found only when he had allowed himself to open up his mind to something other than the fury and the need for revenge. He had found it years ago with the first clones he still protected fiercely today, who remained hidden away and flourished without humans in the wild. He had found it with the companionship freely offered by the one human who had changed his view of the world and humans so many years ago.

Ash Ketchum was different and had always been. He was special and still so incredibly normal. Years ago he had been a boy with aspirations to become the greatest Pokémon trainer.

Today he was more than just that. Yes, his picture was still in gyms around the world, his name etched into the frame with a date and the title he had won. Like so many youths had managed to be forever remembered for their poke-battles. Maybe the colors had faded by now, maybe he had been forgotten after a while, but there was evidence of his life out there; his youth.

But that wasn't what made him special. Many had come after him, gaining the same title. Many more would.

None had ever gained the trust of so many powerful Pokémon. None had ever saved the world as often as Ash Ketchum had. None would ever come close to the achievements of this one man, achievements that had nothing to do with badges or titles.

None were called a friend by Mewtwo. None were his partner. None were his!

Looking at his friend and partner now, Mewtwo breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, his mind reaching out to touch his one and only counterbalance.

Ash was unhurt.

Pikachu was at his side, equally without blemish, looking worriedly at the other Pokémon. He voiced his questions, but Mewtwo was unable to answer.

The relief he felt as the realization that Ash was alright hit him and nearly brought him down to his knees.

He was here, in Ryme City; had come because of him. Had come for him! And he had been safe all the time. He hadn't been captured and tortured. He hadn't endured imprisonment. As much of a monster as Howard Clifford had been, he had at least not hunted Mewtwo's partner and had him removed, like he had tried to remove Harry Goodman.

It had been more lies… just more lies…

Masterful manipulations…

Humans lied and he should feel the old, burning hatred from deep within his battered, scarred soul, that anger and pain, but Mewtwo felt nothing. He didn't have the strength for it, the energy, and the will. All he wanted was… rest. He wanted comfort. He wanted…

Staring at Ash, all he wanted was to lose himself in the other mind and never let go.

Safety.

All he could think about was his safe haven.

Ash's face shifted through different expressions as his mind waded through the myriad of emotions coming from the feline Pokémon, feeling the psychic energies whirl around them, almost untamed.

"Holy… sh… Mewtwo…?!"

_"Pikapi?! Pika!"_

There were a dozen questions just in the way Ash spoke his name, but he couldn't answer. There was no right or wrong answer, just the pain and the joy mixing into one.

Mewtwo hadn't dared to hope.

Because, trapped in that abomination of a lab tank, in pain, desperate to escape, he had only ever caught fragments of words. Never anything real. He had been isolated from his senses. He had simply existed, not lived, and he had drifted a lot.

Now and then words had been audible. Like Ash's name. Like reminders to cooperate unless they make him.

Lies. Manipulations. Making him docile; tame. Playing him. Because the one good thing in his life, the one life he protected fiercely, was in danger.

When he had been free, unleashing his fury and pain upon those who had done this to him, rational thought hadn't figured into his actions until he had found the severely injured form of Harry Goodman, the man who had helped him escape.

Mewtwo had hidden himself after that, rationalizing it with the need to keep Ash safe. It had been a stupid move on his part, especially sticking around, but back then it had sounded logical, even if it didn't hold up to close scrutiny now. He had planted a human mind into a Pokémon, merged them, to do what? Hope that a small mouse Pokémon with sudden detective skills and the ability to talk to one single person would bring down the head of a gigantic company?

Maybe it had been his injured mind screwing with logic.

Maybe it had been the desire for revenge, to find Howard Clifford and make him pay. That almost murderous, burning need to avenge, to get retribution. Mewtwo never ran; his first instinct wasn't to seek out a safe haven and lick his wounds. It was to strike back and make the humans pay, on their knees, begging his forgiveness.

Well, his second instinct. The first had been to make sure Ash hadn't been in the lab, drugged, injured, or worse.

Yes, in hind sight he had made mistakes.

But also good choices.

Because Ash was okay. It ran like a mantra through Mewtwo's battered mind. Ash was okay. Not a scratch on him.

The strained shields cracked more, then fell slowly to pieces.

_You're okay_, he thought, unable to even use his mind-voice anymore. _They didn't hurt you._

_tbc..._


	2. Chapter 2

Ash could very obviously see and very clearly feel the desperation coming off the tall Pokémon in dark, twisting waves as Mewtwo tried to hold back a desperate, physical reaction to the separation he had endured.

Months.

Yes, they had been separated months before, but never under such circumstances. Never when Mewtwo was screaming his pain and anger out into the psychic world, only to find deaf ears. Never when the threat of Ash coming to harm was ever-present.

They lived their lives, together and apart, and this time hadn't been any different than before.

Just… it had. For the first time it had been… different.

It had been agony.

Ash's mind pushed forward, so very used to being as close as they were, easily navigating the psychic connection, and his eyes widened as he encountered the bumps and ridges along the edge of the bond that had been left by the painful invasion of Howard Clifford. 

…_pain ripped through him, scorching his every cell._

…_his thoughts were not his own. They were infused into him like liquid fire, taking up his thinking, his action, and he went with them. They did things, they acted for him, and he was just a watcher…_

The other mind wasn't smooth, didn't fit, was leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. It forced itself upon the struggling Pokémon's body and soul, using the control device to push Mewtwo further and further away.

…_he screamed._

_He fought back._

_Gathering what psychic energy he still had left, Mewtwo struck at the invading mind, creating a mental bolt that was strong enough to kill. _

_It didn't._

_He was too weak. So weak._

_But he tried. And again. And again. It was like running into a wall headfirst, but he knew that if they wanted to get out of this, he had to keep fighting._

_But he had no chance. Not a single chance._

Humans were cruel. Ingenious, cruel, cold creatures. They took what they wanted.

His hatred boiled again, but even that wasn't of much use anymore. All his psychic energy was locked down because of the prison he was in. And the moment the human mind became the dominant one, those powers unfolded – under the human's control!

…_like from a distance, through the agonizing pain of the psychic invasion, he witnessed how his body moved, how he attacked innocent Pokémon…_

_Mewtwo screamed out his fury, his loss, and his pain._

::They trapped you… they tortured…::

Ash's happiness evaporated into intense worry, diving deeper, horror reflecting in his eyes as he took in the psychic landscape with its deep slashes everywhere.

::No, no, no…:: he whispered, desperation rising inside him. ::Please, no…::

And then the more frayed areas came to light, the open sores, the still bleeding psychic wounds that had yet to heal, and the pain. So much pain. So much suffering. The strain Mewtwo had been under, the rawness, the serrated edges of Clifford's mind digging into his own, pushing him away, slicing at his consciousness, and establishing himself as the dominant mind within seconds.

There had been no fighting the alien machine, the band around his head with its electrodes. He had resisted, had pushed his will against the invasion, but to no avail. He had become a pawn, a tool, and he had screamed his pain out into the world.

Mewtwo wanted to pull away, ignore the pain and the memory of the alien mind, the sensation of displacement, and then… Anguish. Absolute control. Helplessness.

He had been nothing but a passenger. Trapped in his body and someone else using him.

Using and abusing him.

Like before.

A weapon.

No free will.

Controlling his actions, his powers, his thoughts, trying to erase him completely…

Where the merged Pokémon-humans had had only one consciousness, Mewtwo hadn't knuckled under and disappeared. He had fought. Hard. Not against Howard Clifford, but against disappearing in the void. He had been a witness to his deeds.

A surge of white-hot anger alerted him to thoughts spilling over from the connection, and while part of him wanted to cut it, another needed Ash's mind so very badly.

To balance himself. To even out the surges. To heal. Even if healing meant facing the blinding fury that briefly overtook them.

Mewtwo closed his eyes and let it happen, actually reveling in the emotions he knew so well. He let them ground him, erase the pain of before, become a new pain. That of a healing wound.

…_Darkness edged toward him and he fought it._

_Panic set in, was swallowed and intensified, and he was screaming. He knew he was screaming, even if he didn't hear a single sound._

_It was only him, falling into the abyss, without a name, without a memory, without…_

_Still he fought._

_He knew he had to fight, to not give in._

_He knew there was someone, that he had someone else, that he needed to find that one presence… _

_He could do this. He was strong enough! He was… he was… The name wasn't there, nor a memory. He simply felt that he was stronger than that._

_Don't give in. Don't give up. Fight!_

_But he was falling, within his own mind, scrabbling not to lose himself in the vortex looming everywhere…_

He wasn't even aware of sinking to his knees until Ash caught the torrent of emotions and thoughts, let the tidal wave rise and fall, facing a hurricane and a tsunami in one. As easily as he handled the psychic energy, Mewtwo knew it was a strain for him, too. He knew very well how much power was contained in his own mind, how much his shield had to handle too, but he also knew how powerful Ash was.

The anchor was firmly in place, unbreakable, even though Howard Clifford had done a good job separating the partners physically. Mewtwo was only thankful and glad that nothing of the ordeal had spilled over to Ash. If there was one redeeming quality of his artificial existence it was that.

::Mewtwo…::

::Don't. I need this::

::You need the anguish and pain? You sound like a masochist, my friend::

It had him laugh a little, a soft, broken sound. ::Not when it's you. You are safety:: he whispered.

Ash was so close, physically and mentally, and his barriers had come all the way down the moment they had met. There were no secrets and no lies between them, there was just the need to connect and heal, to unburden and be… no one.

It was like a warm rain, washing away the fear and desperation.

::I'm here, and I'm going to stay here, no matter how much I want to run to Ryme City and strangle Howard Clifford for what he has done to you!:: Ash told him softly.

::To us::

Mewtwo met his eyes, his own glowing slightly as he let them merge a more. Ash smiled, welcoming him, no resistance at all, and there was a reflection of purple deep down in his own eyes. A pinprick reflection of the psychic energy that connected them, that was Mewtwo's alone, but it coursed through the bond between them. He couldn't use it, it wasn't his ability, but it was there.

::You need to heal. I'm here for you. I'll always be here::

Mewtwo knew it was nothing but the truth. Still. ::Ash…::

There was a teasing smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes. Ash looked positively haunted. ::I'm your safeguard, am I not? You need me. And I need to know you're okay::

He closed the final distance. Mewtwo's intense eyes met the open, brown ones of his human protector and shield. He felt Ash's strength and it was something he had sorely missed in the months in the lab.

The chosen one.

His chosen one.

That well of power and energy, human energy, now forever infused with his own.

"You chose me," Ash drove his point home, saying it out loud. "I know we have a deal, to be two individuals with our own lives, not constantly around each other. It was a good deal until… well, now. You need me, Mewtwo. And you are where I want to be right now. I'm not leaving," he added, voice intense.

_Maybe never again?_ Mewtwo thought with a faint, almost child-like hope.

He squashed that voice. He wasn't needy!

_Oh yes, you are_, the voice told him mercilessly. _Howard Clifford stripped you bare. You need him._

Looking at the human he saw the warm smile. He saw the knowledge, the acceptance. Something was about to change. Again.

Ash had always been different.

Ash had fit. Like a glove. Like a second skin. He had been _right_. Mewtwo had always taken comfort from this presence and it had only strengthened, cemented in their minds when the young human had given him his ultimate trust… when their lives had forever been changed.

Because Ash Ketchum had been unique and always would be. Becoming partners hadn't been about becoming a Pokémon to a trainer. It had been about accepting a human with an incredible ability, one who siphoned the vast energies within the Mew clone as if he had been born to be an artificially created Pokemon's shield against the world.

::I chose you:: Mewtwo echoed. ::I will always choose you::

He had chosen one anchor, one strong mind, and he had become attached to it. The ultimate strength and the very same weakness, one that might cost him one day.

It had already, a nasty part told him. Because he had been stupid! He had fallen for simple blackmail, with no proof, because of… because he felt.

Emotions welled up inside him and Mewtwo pushed them down. No!

::Don't:: Ash's mind-voice soothed him. ::Stop fighting. Let go::

And he did.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

It had been almost too much for Mewtwo to get them away from the city and somewhere he instinctively considered safe. Ash had felt it on an almost cellular level, the toll it took, and he knew by the washed-out, grayish color of his partner's skin that Mewtwo was on his last leg. Also, their landing had been far from smooth. They had descended suddenly and the last six feet he had actually dropped like a stone. He had a new bruise and his pants looked like he had sat down in mud.

With adrenaline running out and the danger having passed, all Mewtwo wanted to do was rest. The mind link was awash with the desire to curl up and forget about the world, about everything that happened, to be just safe. That was the primary thought everywhere on the mind-plane: safety. He was already swaying dangerously and Ash doubted he would be able to keep the taller and heavier being upright should he really start to list even more.

Ash Ketchum had never regretted becoming this powerful Pokemon's personal shield. Connecting to Mewtwo had been an unconscious act and he hadn't really realized it until years later. It had started throughout their first encounter, when he had been young, determined to become the greatest Pokémon trainer and one day a master, and it had developed into what they shared today.

Well, it had developed slowly. Glacially slow. Glaciers were probably faster than them in comparison. Ash had never felt a thing, not even when they had met up again. And again. It had taken his brain, and probably all of him, years to finalize the connection.

Humans weren't meant to share a psychic connection on a permanent basis with a Pokémon, Professor Oak had told him when they had sat down and talked about what had happened and what might still be happening. It was unheard of. It shouldn't be possible for Ash to be this close to such a highly evolved, intelligent being like Mewtwo and still remain sane.

But he was and he did. The professor had tried to explain to him why it was unheard of, that thoughts were never straight forward and clear; they were a mess of processes all happening simultaneously. Thoughts came to life, existed, continued, were cast away, were formed anew, connected to memories or other thoughts. It was dizzying to even touch the very surface of the thought process, let alone go past it and much deeper.

Ash did. He did it without a neural link, without a safety net, without training or having been born with the ability.

And Pokémon, while able to bond with their trainer, especially in battle situations, didn't uphold such connections permanently. Mewtwo was manmade and consisted of spliced and cobbled-together gen fragments of an ancient Pokémon, so no one could have predicted this.

For Ash there had been only one solution when he had realized and truly understood what had happened: abandon his chosen path as a Pokémon Master and start down a new road. He had been nineteen at the time, and the realization had been that the connection to Mewtwo had been there for nine years. Nine years! It had been mind-blowing.

Some might call it destiny, but Ash had scoffed at it. Still, wherever he went, the moment he met new Pokémon sensitive to the psychic energy leftovers of Mewtwo, they looked almost reverently at him. Or were scared. He hated the latter.

Ash knew he had changed because of his immensely powerful partner, that things had taken a different turn for him the day he had opened up to the possibility of a partnership unheard of before, and he knew the contact with Mewtwo had changed his very brain.

As he travelled, he always tried to keep a low profile, usually used only his first name and if asked for a full name, provided a fake one. He didn't do challenges any more. He didn't enter arenas or pitched his Pokémon against another.

And over the time, he set them free again. All but Pikachu. His first ever Pokémon. Pikachu stayed with him.

He cut the connections to the boy who had been on the rise as a powerful and skilled trainer, the one who had befriended powerful Pokémon and had saved the world on more than one occasion. There had been witnesses to what he had done, so the name Ash Ketchum was known.

Which meant he reinvented himself sometimes.

Because Mewtwo's safety came first. He came first.

He protected him; and vice versa.

Until Mewtwo had been caught.

So much for being his shield. So much for protection. So much for knowing what to do and do it right. For all his skill and experience, Ash Ketchum had behaved like his ten-year-old self on the first day of his Pokémon journey. He had been so incredibly stupid! He had behaved like a rookie!

The thoughts were like acid in his mind, reminding him of failures that could have been avoided. Even his friends had scoffed at how the two unlikely partners had gone about their newfound connection. Brock had mused that they would get their act together, Misty had given him her very open and honest and loud opinion, and Professor Oak had advised that it wasn't a healthy way. A good way.

But Mewtwo wasn't a normal Pokémon! He didn't want a trainer, to be bound, and Ash wasn't aspiring to use his partner in battles.

Ash watched the sleeping Pokémon, felt the slight spikes of dreams across the bond. Emotional stress and distress. He caught the thin strand of almost-contact, wrapping it around his mind and soul. It should scare him how easy it was to do that, something he wasn't gifted with. It didn't. From the start it had felt… good, normal… right.

He let the psychic energy wash into his mind, dissolving the worst of the darkness as they fell into the connection.

The dreams came out of nowhere, from the recesses of Mewtwo's memories. They stole across his sleeping mind, leaving him defenseless against the terror they brought, and they wreaked havoc among his thoughts.

Ash pushed against them with his own mind, the sensations no longer so strong, and he safeguarded the powerful psychic's mind. He wouldn't let his partner dwell on what had happened in his sleep; Mewtwo needed that sleep.

Ash glanced at Pikachu, who had curled up at his side and was dozing. He smiled a little and gentle scratched his long-time friend's head. It got him a trilled 'pika'.

"Should have listened to instinct, hm?" he asked softly.

Clifford had used his travels to trap Mewtwo alone. At the time Ash had been hiking through a wilderness reservation, spending time with wild Pokémon and studying rare species. Ash had met new people along the way, time passing so much faster as they had forged friendships and shared experiences. He had spent close to a month at a research and medical center, just sharing his vast expertise; time really flew by.

It had been his normal life, his own life, and while he sometimes wondered how Mewtwo was doing, what he was doing as Ash traipsed across mountains or crossed the plains, he hadn't been worried. It was their lives, spending as much time together as apart, and Mewtwo would be able to find him should he want to.

For ten years, it had worked just fine. For ten years they had been a loosely bound partnership. Ash was more than convinced that this had forever changed now. He was also convinced that if the Ryme City mess hadn't happened, they might have imploded otherwise.

"That bad feeling while I was gone," Ash sighed, meeting Pikachu's eyes. "The weird sensation that I should be somewhere else. It wasn't homesickness. They hurt him, Pikachu. Part of me knew it, but I couldn't really make sense of what I was feeling."

_"Pikapi,"_ came the earnest agreement.

"I'm an idiot."

_"Pi."_

He laughed wryly. "Thanks."

Pikachu scowled a little, ears flattening for a moment, then they perked up again. His opinion was very strong in that matter. Had always been strong.

Ash ran a hand through his messy, dark hair. "We share a connection. I should have known!"

Pikachu still said nothing, but Ash knew he silently and whole-heartedly agreed that his friend was an idiot and thick in the head. Just because Mewtwo was so different from other Pokémon didn't mean they shouldn't have treated their partnership like all the other's Ash had trained before. Mewtwo had violent and negative reactions to the words Pokémon Master or trainer because it meant, in his mind, submission. He would never voluntarily enter a poké-ball. He would never follow instructions in an arena. He wouldn't submit to control.

But Ash had the experience. A whole lot more than the artificially born entity. He should have figured out a way!

Then again, they had never been in such a situation before.

Pikachu had had his own opinion in the past, never shy about voicing it to either of them, but Mewtwo had simply ignored the matter whenever it came up. Ash had decided that since they were both doing fine, nothing had to change. Mewtwo was the expert on psychic matters and Ash was the passive side, the shield. He had no active powers, he didn't sense the world like Mewtwo did, so he had wrongly believed they were fine.

Yeah. Right. Look where they were now, right?

"Got to work on that," he muttered. "Really work on that."

_"Pi. Pika!"_

"Thanks," he muttered wryly.

_"Pi-chu,"_ was Pikachu's dry comment.

"Yeah, I know. Won't happen again. Ever. Whatever Mewtwo says, I'm going to stick around."

Pikachu nodded. In his opinion it was the only life for a human and his Pokémon partner. Pikachu had always been with Ash and his development showed how much he had learned and flourished. He had never physically evolved, didn't want to evolve, but his power levels far surpassed that of the evolved forms by now.

Mewtwo didn't have an evolution form. He was the most powerful already. But this was different.

_He needs you_, the small electric Pokémon pushed his opinion.

Ash petted him softly. "Yeah," he whispered. "I know."

Clifford Enterprises had found Mewtwo through him. Harry Goodman was a world-class investigator for sure. He had followed the traces Ash had left in his travels, had found Mewtwo, but he hadn't been told the truth either. Clifford had used him as he had used so many. He had used his skill set and he had disposed of him afterwards.

Ash had caught fragments of memories, of Harry meeting Mewtwo after tracking him down. Of Clifford's trapping devices restraining the psychic Pokémon, and he had felt the anger, the betrayal, the pain as the device blocked Mewtwo's powers. Being cut off from what was natural for him was the most painful experience for the clone. Physical restraints hurt, but disconnecting the psychic energy was soul-deep agony.

There was another spike and Ash rested a hand on the smooth, warm skin, letting the spikes bleed over to him, rolling with the waves, until Mewtwo relaxed once more.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Mewtwo barely ever tolerated touch by anyone else but him. Another Pokémon yes, but humans were a source of still deeply-settled revulsion and loathing that surged at the worst times. Touch brought pain.

Ash was known, was welcome, and his touch was actively sought out. Every single time they had met up again after their individual travels, Mewtwo had either initiated contact or had not pushed Ash away when the human had touched him.

Big, fat clue anyone?

Yes, he was a moron.

Mewtwo was a tactile creature when he let his guard down, wanted contact, sought it out.

_"Day nine. Subject has arrived. We will start with a first analysis to determine what procedures to use."_

_"Day twelve. Subject shows stress reactions to this method of DNA extraction. We stopped the process."_

_"Day twenty-nine. Moderate success has been made, but the sample degrade too quickly."_

_"Day forty-two. After much trial and error we perfected a stable method to extract Mewtwo's DNA."_

_"Day sixty-eight…"_

Ash blinked as the memory flashed through him, as he felt Mewtwo's frustration to be in the tank, unable to escape. Powerless.

He saw, from his point of view, as men and women walked around the lab, dressed in protective gear.

Time passed. Days, then weeks, then months.

He saw Dr. Ann Laurent, so detached, without empathy, subjecting the helpless Pokémon to ever-changing tests. As much as Mewtwo rallied to find some way to escapes, he couldn't fight the machines that were his prison.

Ash pushed the memories away. That was the past. It wouldn't happen again. Laurent was dead; Clifford was in prison. This was over!

Mewtwo shivered in his sleep, curling into himself, and Ash drew gentle patterns over the too gray skin.

The uneven waves became smooth again.

He had to smile, almost fondly, as he remembered the first time he had been allowed to run a calming caress over the other's arm, how startled Mewtwo had been, how thunderstruck, and how he had looked at the point of contact like he had no idea how to handle it all. Before that they had only ever been in close physical contact when Ash had dragged an injured Mewtwo around after Giovanni had nearly killed the hapless Pokémon.

That moment had been so many years ago, almost another lifetime, and it had been the beginning. It had developed in leaps and bounds.

They had both evolved, but for Mewtwo it had been a much steeper curve.

Now this…

This had been so, so bad.

It could have ended worse.

There had been no guarantee that disconnecting the two minds would give Mewtwo back his body. He could just as well have perished forever. The shock, the fact that Clifford had domineered him, had actually tried to erase him, it all could have contributed to absolute failure.

All because Ash had fallen for a carefully constructed trap himself. Because he hadn't listened to instinct.

Pikachu regarded him intensely, shaking his head. While Ash couldn't talk to all Pokémon as he talked to Mewtwo, he caught the gist of their communications. His mind translated the noises into words, into images, and he simply knew what they were saying. Thanks to having a psychic Pokémon connected to his mind.

_"Pika,"_ came the quiet advice and small paws curled into his clothes. _"Pika. Chu."_

Pikachu wanted him to let go of the guilt and get some rest, too.

But Ash did blame very well. Blame and guilt. He smiled sadly. It was one trait he hadn't been able to lose.

::You are not to blame, Ash Ketchum:: came a soft mind-voice that wasn't Pikachu.

He turned his head and looked at his charge. His hand never stopped the gentle caress over the warm skin. "You're supposed to rest."

Mewtwo was clearly exhausted, looked even worse, and his mind was a raw, bleeding wasteland that had to recover. He had been running on fumes, had limped to a safe place, and even now he was struggling.

His own protective walls were cracked in too many places to count and Ash's mind was everywhere, filling in those cracks and obvious holes, repairing the damage done, keeping Mewtwo from harm.

::As are you. On this level of connection we are one. Always are. I can hear you. I can feel you. You are no less tired::

Mewtwo's eyes cracked open a little, aglow from within, bringing the point across, then they slid shut once more. Ash smiled, acknowledging the fact. He playfully started to scratch the sensitive skin at the base of one of the horn-like extensions. Mewtwo leaned into the caress with a barely-there whisper of a sigh. And yes, there was a purr. It was inaudible to humans, but not Pokémon, but Ash heard and felt it.

The first time the highly evolved being had made that sound in Ash's arms had shocked the young man into almost complete stillness for a second, then he had simply continued his ministrations. Mewtwo had never said anything, but the purrs had come back, sometimes soft rumbles, sometimes almost little '_mews_'. They were comforting noises for both of them.

They didn't talk about the instinctual reactions; maybe they should have.

::I still feel like I failed. And I did fail as your shield. This shouldn't have happened. I should have listened to what I felt. Part of me knew you were in danger, hurt, being hurt, but I didn't understand it::

::Because it never happened before:: was the matter-of-fact reply.

::That shouldn't factor into it! I failed!::

Mewtwo caught the hand and curled his fingers around it. Ash closed his eyes at the contact, the sensation of falling deeper into the incredible mind intensifying. It was heady and warm, like wrapped in a dozen blankets, it was safety and home. Mewtwo pulled him in, like an embrace, hugging him with such fierceness, it took his mental and physical breath away.

He felt the same, would never lie about it.

::Never, Ash. You never failed me or any of your charges. I never expected you to be receptive over distance::

::Yeah, well, maybe we have to work on that. We haven't so far. We never… we never worked on what could be, aside from the obvious::

Mewtwo acknowledged that silently. ::No blame falls on you. Humans are devious. Clifford used Harry Goodman to find me. And when I escaped, he used the son to find the father, because he needed him dead. Humans plot, deceive, lie and manipulate each other::

::Not all::

::Yes. Not all. I learned that. Even if you are a devious human, Ash Ketchum::

He laughed a little.

Mewtwo was a clone, had been created in a lab, grown in a tube, had never known family, friends, emotions, but he had learned, and he had evolved. Accepting that Pokémon grew with a human partner, he had opened up to the possibility and he had learned emotions.

Emotions that Ash felt over their bond and always had.

::You are only human:: Mewtwo reminded him with a fine sense of humorous teasing. ::No matter my influence:: His eyes cracked open again and Ash smiled briefly. ::You can't understand what hasn't happened before. Even your instincts are not that finely attuned::

Ash sighed, shaking his head. ::We grew complacent. We didn't expect something like this to happen. After Giovanni disappeared… you were nothing but a memory to so many, a mythical figure, a story. Neither of us thought anyone else would dig around and start hunting you::

::Your feelings of guilt are unfounded, Ash. Howard Clifford is one of many bad humans, exploiting others, Pokémon and humans alike. He used his son, abused his power. We were all tools. He deceived us both. He used us both.:: Mewtwo met the dark gaze, eyes swirling with emotions people might not think him capable of. ::I'm only glad you weren't abducted alongside me. I wouldn't have survived seeing you tortured, Ash. But now I owe my life to someone other than you:: The last was said with a touch of amusement.

Ash chuckled, wading through the emotions, aware that a lot had been confessed that had never been spoken about in the past years.

"Do I have to be jealous?" he asked lightly.

::Maybe. Tim Goodman has potential::

His hand was squeezed and the psychic energies rose, enveloping Ash completely, weaving through his mind in complicated patterns no one would be able to ever untangle.

He framed the feline head with his hands and let his forehead touch Mewtwo's. It got him a pleased little sigh, almost a '_mew'_.

They were safe now, both of them, the most powerful psychic Pokémon and his human shield and guardian.

Ash refused to be scared and cowed by what had happened. He refused to hide and never to be seen again. He had friends and family. He would still go and see them, he would travel, but no longer alone, and he wanted to meet Tim Goodman, the young man who had saved his friend and partner.

::Y'know, I met Misty just a few weeks before all went to hell here:: he whispered. ::She asked me if we had finally figured out our partnership. I told her we were fine with the status quo, that you needed your space, that you could find me whenever you wanted, that I could drop by to spend time with you. She called me an idiot. You, too. I had no idea what she meant. I know I can be thick::

Mewtwo let amusement trickle along the connection.

::Yeah:: Ash conceded. ::Really thick. She called it an unhealthy long-distance relationship. Challenged me whether I would have left one of my other Pokémon alone to fend for themselves::

The amusement turned into annoyance. ::I can survive on my own:: And he wasn't a possession. It was such a sore spot, it flared up out of the blue sometimes.

::So can I. Look what happened. And Misty's right. Never tell her that, okay?:: Ash smiled briefly. ::She would never let me live it down. But she's right, Mewtwo. It's… I wouldn't call it unhealthy, but it hasn't… been good for us. I think I would have been able to sense something was wrong, instead of getting a vague feeling like I was coming down with some bug. You might have been able to reach me, however briefly. We've grown apart, become complacent. Just seeing each other now and then. This whole mess could have been avoided::

::Doubtful::

And they might have captured Ash, too.

Anger flared. ::You don't know that! But I know that we're stronger together! This connection is there for a reason! Because we are stronger as a team! We haven't done what should have been natural: train. Assess what we have and test the limits. This… this wasn't a gym battle, this was seriously happening and you were so damn lucky…! So damn lucky to survive!::

The desperation finally broke through and Ash buried deeper. Losing Mewtwo wasn't an option. It would never be!

::Just because no one seriously hunted for you in ten years…:: He stopped, voice wavering. ::We made a mistake, Mewtwo. I don't want this to get even worse. I don't want a next time!::

::Neither do I:: was the quiet confession.

Mewtwo's mind pulled him in, shielding him in turn, reassuring him that the Pokémon was still there.

They needed rest. They needed to rebalance themselves, especially Mewtwo. And later, much later, they would have to sort out their partnership. Long distance wouldn't be an option at all anymore.

Pikachu curled up with the pair and sighed a pleased 'pikapika'. Mewtwo's arms were around Ash, his forehead pressed against his partner's chest as he let go of the past tension and let them slide together in sleep and healing. Ash had wrapped his own arms around the exhausted being's head and shoulders, a protective embrace that mirrored what his mind had done.

They wouldn't stay in this temporary hide-out. Ash planned on getting somewhere more comfortable but still secure. He had a few idea, knew such places, and the moment Mewtwo was able to, they would relocate.

xXxX

Throughout the night Pokémon of different species joined them, a circle of small and large guards, keeping their eyes out for danger to the trio. Pikachu shared his appreciation of the gesture with them, receiving waves of support.

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

Ash was used to being so close to the immense power that was Mewtwo's mind, a heavy vortex of psychic power that was unrivalled by any other Pokémon he had ever encountered. The tightly coiled energy was flowing toward another soul, only meant for that one person. Ash. And Ash wasn't scared by that bottomless well only he could really perceive. It was like watching a tightly coiled ball of energy, ready to expand and explode into action, to erase what stood in its way. It was deep inside Mewtwo's soul, at the very heart, eternal.

Ash had never been scared of it.

It was normal for him and had been for years. Ever since the very first encounter and his brief brush with death, his mind had expanded in a way the child he had been back then hadn't really realized.

Being caught in the middle of two powerful, psychic blasts hadn't changed him – aside from petrifying his body for a short time, which had more or less killed him for a while; no, it had freed something inside himself that had been there, waiting.

It had been an accident, caused by his own stupidity to get between two warring, insanely powerful Pokémon. It should have killed him, annihilating his body, turning him into dust and memory. No human or Pokémon should have been able to survive what he had.

But he had.

Afterwards he had not felt better or worse. Sure, a few aches had remained, but that had passed. And slightly too much of a moron that he had been, he had never thought about just why he was able to get in contact with so many powerful Pokémon, right down to legendary and god-like beings, who had trusted him in a way that should have been a neon-lit clue.

No, Ash had never caught on to that.

Or anything else.

He had just… accepted it.

Misty would have a field day, he mused. He supposed a lot of his friends would start celebrating.

It had just never occurred to him…. Ash sighed and shook his head. Yeah, well, maybe it had been a coping method. Maybe whatever genetic predisposition he had, it had decided that he needed to grow into it slowly.

Really slowly.

But then he had run into Mewtwo again and the connection between the two so very different beings had flared.

Where memories had been erased before, they came back. Ash had suddenly remembered, though he hadn't said anything to anyone.

The connection stood. It was alive. It wanted to grow. Differently than with any of the other Pokémon Ash had encountered.

Mewtwo had never, in so many words, said it, but Ash suspected that the double psychic force had fundamentally triggered him as the shield, connecting them back then without their knowledge. With Mew's psychic energy in the equation as well, no one really knew what had occurred that moment.

All the other Pokémon he had encountered since then, all those that had been drawn to him, those that had felt a certain attraction to the fledgling trainer, had only been a side-effect. Back then he hadn't questioned those legendary encounters. He had suspected anything when rare Pokémon or otherwise hostile ones had slowly become his friends.

Ash Ketchum had been special already because he befriended Pokémon instead of just capturing them, but he wouldn't have realized his full potential that early on if not for Mew and Mewtwo. And he wouldn't have shown the amazing skill his friends marveled at if not for the changes the psychic energy had brought.

xXxXx

Watching his sleeping charge on a mind-level, Ash became aware of another watcher. He turned his mind's eye to the not-quite intruder, shielding Mewtwo from the softly undulating energies. They were non-invasive, rather neutral, and if they should touch too closely, they never felt wrong. More like kin than anything else.

::Mew:: he greeted the ancient Pokémon.

Mew's mind representation floated closer, curled up in a ball, tail weaving around the pink, feline form. She chirped happily and somersaulted in the bubble she had created around her representation, looking playful and innocent.

[Ash] she projected.

Ash smiled. ::Why are you here?:: he asked politely.

Their encounters in the past years had been few and far. Sometimes he had felt her at the edge of his connection with Mewtwo, but she never intruded and catching a glimpse of her had been difficult.

He had no idea how old she was, but she was ancient. Mew existed in a way no other Pokémon did, sometimes aware, sometimes in a kind of hibernation state that wasn't really sleep, but she wasn't conscious either. She would rouse, explore the world as it had changed around her, then disappear for months, years, maybe decades or more.

Mewtwo's existence had woken her and she had been around ever since, only taking brief time-outs, it seemed. Ash wasn't sure she consciously decided it was nap time, or whatever it was called, and he really had no idea what triggered her again.

[He hurts] Mew now stated, hovering closer. She was swinging slightly from left to right and back again in her floating bubble.

::Yes::

[Very much]

She came even closer and Ash felt something akin to sympathy and worry. She wasn't like Mewtwo and even Ash, who was accustomed to psychic links and their energies coursing through his body, could barely get a read on her.

He had been struck by her power, but he didn't remember how it had felt. He didn't remember anything from his petrified state.

There was a shift on the mind-plane and Mewtwo's presence grew, became more powerful, and his psychic representation grew to tower over Ash. Violet eyes narrowed dangerously and Ash felt the fury rising. He reached out and touched his partner, calmly stepping between the two.

::Leave!::

Mew chirped almost playfully, not the least bit cowed. And what did she have to fear anyway?

::I do not care about your presence here! You invade! What do you want?:: Mewtwo demanded in a vicious tone of voice.

[You hurt] She uncurled and lazily flew around them. [I felt your suffering]

A low but inaudible rumble seemed to surround them all, like a distant thunder that couldn't be heard, only felt. Deadly, swift, merciless.

::It never bothered you before!::

[It always did. This time it was so bad. You were alone]

The evidence of that statement was all around them, the charred regions of Mewtwo's mind where he hadn't healed yet. There were painful memories, nightmarish dreams of being stuck with tubes and needles, feeling them drain him of life and energy, and the possession. That most of all was the source of his psychological wounds.

::I'm always alone!:: was the furious reply.

[No. You haven't been in a long time. They forced you into submission. They forced you out of the connection. They separated you not only from yourself but also from your partner]

Mewtwo snarled, eyes starting to glow.

Ash let his own calmness wrap itself around the hurting mind, wide open for Mewtwo, buffering the storm until it blew over.

Mew watched them, smiling. She nodded, almost to herself, and floated closer, close enough to touch Ash. Her long tail nearly swished over his cheek in a faint caress.

::No! Do not touch him!:: Mewtwo exploded.

He flung out an arm, fingers spread, the eerie glow of his energy lighting up his lower arm seemingly from within. The orange hue grew brighter, turned white, enveloping the three fingers and then blasting outward.

Mew was pushed back by a psychic blow that had her roll and bounce. She giggled, somersaulting in the surreal winds as if it was just a game. Well, to an ancient Pokémon like Mew it probably was. Ash had no doubt that if she really applied herself to a battle on a mind level, Mewtwo would lose spectacularly. Mew was the mother of all Pokémon abilities and powers after all.

Ash weathered the tidal wave of near-loss, hurt and possessiveness that came from his partner. Mewtwo's hands were curled into fists, energy coalescing around them.

::Don't:: Ash whispered. ::Mew is not the enemy. She's not disconnecting us::

::She doesn't belong here! No one does!::

Fierce protectiveness radiated from the link, images of Howard Clifford chasing those of other humans who had tried to own and tame Mewtwo. Ash leaned even closer.

Mew smiled again. [He does. He belongs]

::Get out!:: Mewtwo's expression was cold and hard, eyes reflecting the explosion just waiting to be unleashed.

The mind-plane was awash with color and shifting landscapes. The memories were chased away, only Ash remaining like a steady, irremovable rock, shielding his charge, calmly brushing over the serrated edges of so much pain and suffering, smoothing them.

Mew chirruped happily, apparently pleased with whatever only she could see. She came to a stop in front of Ash again, unperturbed by Mewtwo's display. She hovered at eye level, her blue eyes alight with an ancient energy no one could ever fathom.

[You belong. You always have. Even before he was born. When our energies touched you, it could have been me instead of him. But I don't need you. He does. You are his focus]

There was a sharp spike of fury at the words that came straight from Mewtwo. Ash sensed the building energy, the rage that came from a forgotten abyss inside the clone's very soul. It was the abyss where all the past suffering resided, where the insecurities lay, where the harbored resentment for humans experimenting on Pokémon was bottled up.

And it was boiling closer and closer to the surface, aiming for Mew.

She looked into Ash's eyes, her mind expanding to be everywhere. Ash's sense of her was vastly different than of her descendant. Mew was harder to grasp, like a Ditto assuming different identities and shapes. She couldn't be pinned down. What he did sense was… no danger.

Mewtwo growled so low and deep, with such vicious intent, Ash felt it like a thunderclap in his mind. It drew him out of his musings and he looked at his partner. Mewtwo was hovering over him, eyes a bright white, energy curling around his hands.

Dangerous, but not dangerous to him.

More like… intensely protective.

::Mewtwo, no:: he said softly. ::She is no threat. Neither to you, nor to me::

::I don't fear her!:: he snarled.

Mew just watched, so ancient, so serious all of a sudden, so very powerful. Ash heard no words, but he felt something nevertheless. A sensation of emotions and thoughts. He smiled and nodded.

She nodded back.

Then she was suddenly gone in a streak of light.

Anger, fear and jealousy touched him and Ash turned to his Pokémon partner, meeting the fearsome, bright eyes. It was hard to miss the wave of resentment, that absolute mistrust.

The turmoil of Mewtwo's emotions wasn't unexpected. He had no idea how to deal with what had happened, what he was experiencing, what had always been between them for nearly a decade. He resented Mew for being the original, though that had gotten better, but to be reminded that Ash could have become Mew's partner… that had nearly broken the fragile control.

::Hey:: he only said. ::She's gone. It's okay::

::She dared…::

::She didn't come to hurt me, you, or the bond. It only works with you, not her. You heard her::

::She implied::

::Yeah, well, and implications is all it was. I doubt she wants or needs someone like me::

::Because I'm the weak copy!::

::No, because you and I fit. We're a team::

Mewtwo tried to hold on to his anger, but it didn't last. He deflated and Ash didn't even give him a chance as he wrapped him in a hug. Powerful arms came around him and the tall Pokémon buried his face against Ash's neck.

::She's not the enemy::

::She invaded:: he whispered roughly.

::Yeah, well, yes. Yes, she did. She knows no boundaries, has no manners. At least what we humans would call manners. You're different. You evolved, my friend. You have me to help you navigate the treacherous path of human interaction and emotional growth:: Ash added cheekily.

Mewtwo snorted, but he didn't argue. ::I have you:: he finally murmured.

And this had changed them. Ash had never felt this kind of protectiveness, of possessiveness. He knew he would stick around, maybe never leave again. He couldn't bear the thought of something happening to his Pokémon partner. He didn't want to wake up in different town as he travelled, wondering how Mewtwo was, if something had happened, if he needed Ash and couldn't get to him.

xXxXx

Mewtwo's mind calmed down again, submitting to the need to sleep to heal, and Ash kept his vigil, caressing the hurting presence deep within him.

He was the shield and the protector. The chosen one.

It was time he stepped up to that and did his job.

xXxXx

They relocated a day later. It was a place owned by one of the many friends Ash had made throughout his travels. It was remote, but he didn't have to rough it. There was food and a place to buy stuff not far away.

Mewtwo was wary of the unknown cabin, but the moment his head hit the pillow on the couch, he was out like a light once more. Just the brief trip here had exhausted him again.

Ash called his friend, a Pokémon medic called Frank, and the man cheerfully told him to use the cabin as long as he wanted. He wouldn't even have to stock up the supplies again, though Ash planned on doing so.

"Thanks," Ash told him over the phone.

"Hey, no big deal. I'm not planning on going out there for at least the next months."

He called his mother next, gave her an update, but he didn't reveal much over the phone. Just that he was okay. Delia understood the message.

With Mewtwo sleeping, Ash did a walk around the cabin, the adjoining garage that housed an ATV, and finally joined his partner on the large couch that could easily accommodate them all. Pikachu chose Ash's lap as his friend stretched out next to the taller Pokémon.

His mind on the healing psychic being, he switched on the TV, chose a daily soap, and relaxed.

He would make up a shopping list, especially for food that Mewtwo needed. He was too thin, had only been fed through tubes, unable to move inside his small prison, and he hadn't gained anything back after his flight from the PCL facility.

Ash had no concrete plans how long they would stay, what they would do, but he knew he would keep a close eye out on possible hunters.

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

It had taken almost three days for Mewtwo to do more than sleep, eat, then sleep some more. Ash had never been far from him, had always made sure to remain completely open, and when his own body demanded rest, he just joined the exhausted Pokémon. Pikachu was becoming almost a mother-hen, scolding him, giving him those pointed looks, pushing him into relaxing.

"I get it, I get it. Geez," Ash laughed as he prepared his own dinner, ready to spend another evening as a couch potato.

_"Ka! Pikapika Ka!"_

Yea-ah, that was more than clear. He playfully tousled the yellow fur between the long ears and handed Pikachu a slice of fruit. The small Pokémon took it and hopped over to the couch. It was a sofa-bed, actually, and Ash had unfolded it on the first day.

Mewtwo was curled up like a cat, taking up half the space already, tail around himself. Ash chose his usual spot next to him, sitting cross-legged, balancing a bowl of chips on his closed laptop. Mewtwo's eyes cracked open briefly, then he drifted off again, but not before nuzzling closer until his head was pressed against Ash's thigh.

He smiled fondly and drew light fingers over the once again healthy looking skin while eating chips. Mewtwo's hums bypassed his ears and came straight into his mind. Pikachu snuggled into the much bigger Pokémon, broadcasting happiness.

Ash had exchanged a few messages with some of his friends, reassuring them he was okay. By extension that meant Mewtwo, too. He would never mention his name, nor reveal their location, and those who were aware of the partnership didn't ask any Mewtwo-specific questions. No one knew who might be looking for the powerful being.

He also followed any news updates from Ryme City, watching reports or reading online papers. There was a lot of stuff to wade through, all the interviews, the speculations, the neutral and not so neutral blogs. The city was trying to clean up, get back to normal, live on as before.

Some reports mentioned the appearance of an unknown Pokémon. Some called it a hallucination, some speculated that Howard Clifford had merged with one of his experiments and that was why it had looked so weird. A few had even dug up old articles on the most powerful of all Pokémon, the psychic being called Mewtwo.

Ash was relieved that many pursued the Howard Clifford angle, his unethical experiments, the employment of people who had lost their license to practice because of this experiments, too. Clifford Enterprises was catching a lot of flak, but Roger was ready to face every camera, confront every accusation, and he invested tons of money in enterprises that promoted Pokémon-human partnerships.

xXxXxXx

Mewtwo gained back definition and muscle strength, his psychic powers grew to be more steady, and his emotional state began to balance out. His psychic injuries were healing quickly now.

He never demanded that they leave the cabin. Ash knew he felt safe here. It was like a private cave, with all amenities and comfort, and while Mewtwo sometimes stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air, he never did so without his partner. Ash enjoyed the moments when his partner closed his eyes, face turned into the wind or the sunshine, shoulders and tail relaxing.

Pikachu went exploring sometimes, reporting back on wild Pokémon in the area, but none would disturb them. They were aware of Mewtwo, sensed the impressive psychic force, and while they were curious, they wouldn't intrude.

Ash exchanged a few more text messages with Frank, inquiring into some health related issues concerning Pokémon, never revealing who his patient was, and Frank never asked. He just gave him a few tips when it came to nutritional additions.

Ash's knowledge of Pokémon physiology rivalled that of any medic, but not in-depth of a specialist. He had expanded his knowledge after he had stopped pursuing his goal to become the greatest trainer or a world-renowned Pokémon Master, but he had never gotten a degree.

He didn't really need one.

"Exhaustion can't be cured like the flu," Frank told him in one of his messages. "Rest, healthy food, lots of liquids, slow training to keep the muscles from deteriorating. That's all you need with your charge. If it's a pack or flock Pokémon, kin helps. If you have a solitary one, let it know it's not alone."

Good advice.

So that's what they did.

xXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx

It had been Ash's idea to drive to the PCL ruin and snoop around. He needed to see where they had done such horrible things to not only his own Pokémon partner, but to so many other, innocent Pokémon, and it had grown over time as Mewtwo healed and became stronger.

::Why?:: Mewtwo asked, curious and apprehensive in one.

"There might still be Pokémon there. Maybe even still in cages."

::I doubt they haven't cleaned out the lab by now. Enough time has passed::

Yes, it was a logical conclusion. Yes, it made sense. But Ash looked determined. He wanted this, but if Mewtwo didn't come along, he knew he wouldn't leave him alone here either.

The violet eyes softened, grew warm, and Mewtwo dropped his head to rest his forehead against Ash's. It was an almost intimate gesture, one that hadn't developed in the past weeks. It had been there between them before.

Just… not too often. More like a brief moment, barely there, but now it was just part of them.

::Stubborn::

"Hm, yeah, one of my best traits. But I don't want to force you to come along."

::You wouldn't. I will come with you::

Ash rubbed a hand over the warm skin of Mewtwo's cheek and neck, drawing one of those purrs.

"Thank you."

His partner straightened, breaking the physical contact. ::I'll always be by your side, Ash Ketchum::

Something warm burst over his mind and soul at the words and he smiled openly. The smile Mewtwo gave him was mostly on the mind-level, his facial features barely shifting, but it was there. It was the same warmth, the same affection.

It had been a hard lesson to learn for both of them, but they had learned it.

xXxXxXx

So Ash went back to the Pokémon Comprehensive Lab facilities, a month after the Ryme City mess.

xXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXxxXxXxXx

Howard's intentions might have sounded honorable, but the way he had gone about them had been disgusting and despicable. Yes, Pokémon could bring out the best in people, and a healthy partnership of trust and caring could bring out the best in a Pokémon, but that wasn't done in a lab with chemicals. It grew over time; it was a symbiosis. It wasn't one entity overtaking another like in a war, erasing a mind to acquire a body.

Ash had lived and fought by those very ideas long before today, without knowing that somewhere in the world was one sick and dying man who would one day twist those ideas into something terrible and painful.

Walking through the dark and quiet corridors, Ash saw that pain everywhere.

Mewtwo himself had very mixed feelings about that. He had been held against his will for too long, for months, and going back was… a battle of nerves, instincts and dark, very dark, emotions. Now and then his eyes flashed white, psychic energy flaring along his fingers.

There was nothing left, he had levelled the place, but the desire to set fire to the empty shell and reduce it to rubble was burning deep inside him.

Ash felt that well-known revulsion as he stepped into the main lab. His eyes fell on the spherical containment tank that had been his partner's prison cell. It was now nothing but cracked, burned metal and glass, but he knew what had happened here. He had been inside the memories. He didn't need the holographic replay to understand the horror of the place.

Howard had used technology not unlike Giovanni's, probably even based on those early machines that had entrapped the powerful being. The containment sphere looked rather like those designs.

Mewtwo made a soft sound he probably wasn't aware of uttering, surveying everything. Ash reached for him automatically, anchoring firmly in the fluctuating mind.

::It's not okay:: Mewtwo whispered harshly.

::Didn't say so::

A pinprick of brightness hovered deep inside the large eyes.

::This:. Ash told him, looking around the ruin, ::this will never be okay::

The long tail whipped behind the tall Pokémon and the scowl on the otherwise hard features refused to go away.

There were flashbacks and not all were because of PCL. Mewtwo had a load of emotional baggage that stemmed from his birth to today. He had been in too many labs, confined too many times, hunted by too many power-hungry men.

And people had died.

He hadn't killed them intentionally. They had been casualties. Mewtwo had never targeted a human, had never murdered.

Ash caught the dark whispers. ::Wasn't your fault, Mewtwo. Never::

They had caged him; he had freed himself. No, it wasn't his fault.

Now, everything in here, was just another bad memory. Stripped down to nothing, blackened walls and broken glass.

Clifford Enterprises had been all over the place when everything had settled. There had been a massive clean-up, right down to wiping every memory drive. The consoles had been gutted and the holding tanks and cages were now clear of former inhabitants. Power had been cut and the whole building was dark and foreboding.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed steadily now, energy collecting briefly around one fist. Ash automatically touched the fist, unafraid of harm, feeling the power wash over his body and mind without inducing pain.

The Pokémon uttered a choked growl, then abruptly zipped away. Ash smiled dimly and followed slowly, making sure not to twist an ankle or run head-first into a low-hanging beam.

He understood the desire to unleash the anger and pain inside, to tear into the place, but it was already nothing more than a shadow.

What held the powerful entity back was the fact that the lab was still home to a few lab experiments.

Like two Torterra and three Greninja.

The Torterra had been released to join their fully grown cousins. Both had not yet been given the booster the others had been injected with, so they would never become the giants that slept hidden underneath mountains. Well, that were actually those mountains.

The Greninja hadn't been seen since the attack on Lucy and Tim, and subsequently getting blasted by Psyduck. Their ears had probably been ringing for hours, their brains rattled by the powerful explosion of psychic energy.

Correction: they hadn't been seen until Ash stepped outside the lab to find Mewtwo there, hovering a good ten feet above the ground, looking down at the three missing Greninja.

Ash met the huge eyes of the three lab mutations. They looked almost like the Greninja he had encountered or trained, but something was off. He could sense it. They radiated their difference, though none appeared overly aggressive. But he could tell how nervous they were around him and his partner. They had come because they had been curious, attracted by the visitors.

"Hello," he greeted them politely, keeping his stance loose and non-threatening.

He smiled calmly, projecting his well-meaning intentions, his wish to help them if they wanted it.

They shifted on their toes, still unsure. Mewtwo came to float behind Ash, on guard, but not the least bit troubled by their appearance or the possibility of an attack. The Greninja looked at him, murmuring amongst each other.

::They know me:: he said.

They had been inside the lab complex at the same time Mewtwo had been held there, too. So many had.

::Experiment number twenty-two:: the psychic entity added, disgust in his voice.

The Greninja ducked a little, almost submissive.

"No one's going to hurt you," Ash told them, projecting the words as emotions. "We're just visiting."

_"…gre… ninja?"_ came the soft, curious whisper.

"You're free. No more experiments. No more lab people. No restraints and no cages."

They looked surprised, slightly suspicious.

"You can stay here. No one's chasing you away," Ash told them. "If you want. This is now abandoned. Condemned."

And protected. No cameras, no remote controlled access, especially since all power had been cut and the power units removed.

One of the Greninja nodded. _"Nnn-ja,"_ it stated.

Ash caught the gist of it through Mewtwo.

They would stay here. It was a bad place, but also good. It was their home despite being a prison before. It was all they had ever known. Leaving, going to another protected area, filled them with unease.

The Torterra Garden would never see human settlement, maybe a hiker or two who got past the border controls, or a government approved scientist. Just to study. To watch and learn, never to lay hand on them again.

Mewtwo had told Ash that the Torterra were aware of them on some basic, almost dream-like level. Their incredibly slow metabolism had them rest after exerting themselves when they had been disturbed by Psyduck's blast. They would probably not move for another decade or two. If at all. Their thoughts were equally slow, still processing the events from weeks ago.

Ash smiled. "Good luck," he told them.

_"Ninja,"_ was the reply. _"Gre. Grenin."_

And then they were gone.

His smile grew wistful, remembering his own Greninja, and Mewtwo was suddenly right next to him, head cocked a little. Ash didn't really want to go back being a Pokémon trainer on a journey, but he had his sentimental moments, reflecting on all the Pokémon he had met on his journey, the ones he had trained, who had been friends and who had grown and evolved. Some he hadn't seen since their departure, some he had met a few more times. Like his Charizard, but even that had been so long ago.

Maybe it was time to go on that kind of journey. Or maybe he should go forward instead of reflecting on the past.

::You can do both:: Mewtwo reminded him.

Ash hadn't really been aware of his thoughts spilling over. It was rare for them to be that close that communication happened on pure thought-level, but with the emotional stress Mewtwo was under, he was leaning heavily on his human shield.

"Yeah. Maybe. Right now I have no plans to do either."

He had different priorities.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

Two months had passed since the incident and Ryme City was still recovering, Those directly affected by the gas and the merging of human and Pokémon tried to deal with what had happened in different ways. There had been injuries from bruises to broken bones. A few were still hospitalized. Many would probably need psychological help.

The city refused to give up the dream of a peaceful coexistence just because the visionary philanthropist who had been its founder had turned out to be mental.

Other cities didn't shy away from pursuing their own dream of partnerships, living together with a Pokémon partner without Poké Balls, without battle arenas.

News coverage was still going on strong, but it was no longer hours long reports and specials. Lucy Stevens had been pushing reports on what had come out of the partnerships, the trust and friendships, how peace was more important than one near-catastrophic day. People wanted the hope and the good news, wanted to hear about those friendships, of how Squirtles helped put out fires, how the police had many different Pokémon partners like Growlithe and Arcanine that protected them and the public, and so much more.

Clifford Enterprises was working hard on reestablishing themselves, on cleaning up their founder's mess, and Roger Clifford was always on TV, declaring his full cooperation in clearing the company's, and his, name. His father's work had been a dream up until the moment his mental health had been failing, he declared.

The man had framed him, set him up to take the fall, but Roger was fighting for the company and for the city.

xXxXxXx

Harry Goodman knew he had only played a role in the whole disaster that had befallen Ryme City, a small role at that, but still one that had hurt many people. Yes, including him, but looking at the bigger picture he knew he had been one cog in a gigantic machination that had been going on for years.

Because one man had tried to find the perfect cure for himself and had decided to force it upon humanity. It had been a cure for humanity, actually. To evolve into the best possible version of oneself. It would have changed humanity, erased it.

What a load of crap!

Harry wasn't even sure whether Howard had simply felt envious of the Pokemons' abilities to evolve, to adapt, to expand upon their potential, or if it had been greed coupled with desperation, the inability to accept human limitations, and then some.

In the end, looking back, probably all.

Maybe the man's illness had affected his thinking, his rationalizing, because up until he had handed over day to day operations of the company to his son, Howard had been, well, normal. No delusions, no megalomaniacal plans, nothing. He had been the soul of Ryme City.

And then… this.

This hadn't been about genetic manipulations. This had been on a much more frightening and bigger scale.

Looking back Harry knew he had made mistakes. Some smaller, some bigger. The biggest had been to accept the proposal to hunt for an elusive, dangerous, very unique and insanely powerful Pokémon. A Pokémon that had been artificially created so many years ago and had been in hiding ever since.

And Harry Goodman wouldn't be the best investigator with the reputation of always finding what he was looking for if he hadn't dug into the job with everything he had. He had used his various and countless contacts, had followed every trail imaginable, and he had really found Mewtwo.

And he had been the one responsible for the entrapment of this unique creature. He had been the one responsible for the horrible experiments, for the torture, for the inhumane treatment.

Because he had been a gullible idiot!

"Harry Goodman?"

His head snapped up and he blinked rather stupidly at the man standing in the doorway to his apartment-slash-office. Just one man, without a Pokémon partner, his mind registered.

"How did you get in here?" Harry demanded, rising from his office chair.

He had locked the door, hadn't he? And why hadn't his Pikachu alerted him to an intruder? The yellow Pokémon sat on a chair, looking for all the world completely at peace with the situation.

"Your door was unlocked."

"How about knocking?"

The other man smiled slightly. "I did. There was no answer. Deep thoughts, I think."

He was dark-haired with equally dark eyes, lean, tall and clearly on the athletic side. He wasn't as young as Tim, but also not Harry's age. Actually, he was pretty hard to pin down age-wise, but there was something about this guy that had Harry both on the edge and calm in one. He looked… older than his appearance suggested. Not physically, but his eyes… there was something wrong. Not bad wrong, just… not normal.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice hard.

"I'm sorry. Manners. My name is Ash Ketchum. I think you followed me to find Mewtwo."

Harry felt suddenly lightheaded, alarm racing through him, and while part of him wanted to run, another wanted to pull a gun he didn't own, and yet another was somehow relieved to see Ash alive and well.

Yes, he had followed the trail of Ash Ketchum, but he had never met him. He had only ever seen pictures from the younger man's past, when he was just a boy of ten or twelve, so much like Tim had been, and already on the path to be a great trainer.

A little over ten years ago he had disappeared off the face of the earth. No pictures, no newspaper articles, nothing at all. Just faint hints, someone mentioning his name here or there, and not even pursuing the family ties had been successful in finding where Ketchum had ended up.

Harry had had enough to find Mewtwo anyway, because Harry Goodman was a tenacious bastard, was the best in his job - and he had led the elder Clifford right to him. A man who had called this unique Pokémon an abomination.

Maybe it should have set him off, warned him.

The guilt returned and Harry pushed it away.

The guilt had been his constant companion since that fateful day and when he had discovered the truth behind Clifford Enterprises' machinations, he had done his damnest to free the powerful Pokémon.

He had succeeded.

At a price.

Even now Harry felt good over having to pay it, even if it had been a heavy one.

_I deserved it._

"There are no hard feelings, Mr. Goodman," Ash broke into his thoughts as he walked into what doubled as Harry's office space.

"No?" he breathed, stunned.

"Mewtwo wouldn't have saved you if he had really blamed you or still held a grudge. And he knows how to hold one, believe me." There was a teasing smile there. "Like the best of them, actually. He's a pro at revenge and masterminding plans to exact it. But he knows you were tricked like everyone else."

Knowing what he did about the clone's creation and what had happened afterwards, Harry could believe that. He had just never figured out how this man was connected to the powerful entity. Why his name popped up in obscure places.

And he was connected.

Deeply.

Clifford had hinted at something, but he hadn't been too clear either.

"So… how can I help you?" Harry now asked.

"This is a friendly visit. To see how you and your Pikachu are." Ash's eyes were now on the mouse Pokémon.

Pikachu puffed out his chest. He was still wearing the little detective hat, something he was absolutely proud of. _"Pikapik!"_

Harry smiled. His Pikachu was fine, absolutely fine, and there had been no weird or ill effects of the transfer. He couldn't remember anything that had happened after the accident, but Tim had filled him in.

His Pokémon partner had given up his body to save Harry. He had pleaded for Harry's life, had made a deal with Mewtwo, and even if Harry was a little fuzzy on that, he was quite clear on what it had entailed: two minds in one body, one dormant, the other partially amnesiac. This could have gone sideways in so many ways, but it hadn't. There had been more than just chance or luck involved. He didn't really want to know the odds how this could have gone to hell in a handbasket.

He had Tim back. Tim, who had stayed. He had his son with him and they were slowly getting to know each other again. There had been a lot of talking, a lot of explaining, and tears. Over the loss of Tim's mother, the loss of a family, the distance, the time lost. Whatever the mind-melded version of him had said, it had unlocked something inside Tim. He had started to understand his father's pain, the darkness that had made a home in Harry Goodman's heart and soul with the loss of his wife and partner. He had slowly come to accept that his father's decision to leave Tim with his maternal grandmother had been for Tim's sake; to give him a steady home.

The old pain would always be there, but it was a healing of sorts.

And it had made Tim want to stay.

Well, not in his old room. He had declared it a relic and while it had been a shrine of Harry's of sorts, he had agreed to turn it into more office space as Tim hunted for a simple, affordable apartment.

Working together was still new for both of them and Tim had to get his license approved, but he had the knack his father always had for puzzles and following clues.

Harry owed all of that, in part, to Pikachu. He would never be able to make it up to his partner.

_"Pikaapik! Pikachu!"_

"Good to hear," Ash commented, drawing him out of his musings, and Harry wondered if the man spoke Pokémon of sorts. "But I didn't just come here to check in on all of you. I know you're doing okay. It's also a kind of thank you," he added, meeting Harry's eyes again.

"For…?"

"For showing us where we went wrong."

Harry frowned.

"Mewtwo and myself. You found him through me, so you know there is a connection."

He nodded warily. Oh, he was very much aware that something connected this man with a legendary Pokémon of such incredible power and intellect.

"We've been a team for a very long time and it started even earlier than both of us realized, but we… neglected that connection. It's one of many reasons why Howard so easily captured and detained Mewtwo. Yes, you found him. Yes, you more or less led Howard to him. But Howard Clifford blackmailed him into obedience and cooperation." Ash looked grim. "Mewtwo didn't know the lies were just that: lies. He couldn't reach out to me, had no idea whether I was alive, injured or even dead. So he cooperated. To protect me."

Whoa, Harry thought dizzily.

Pikachu tilted his head and looked at Ash, making small, quizzical noises. Ash chuckled.

"Humans are stupid," he told the Pokémon.

_"Pikah-pik!"_

Those were two voices and Harry almost laughed as a second Pikachu peeked around the corner, looking exasperated and almost like he wanted to kick Ash in the shin.

Ash grinned down at his Pikachu. Then the Pokémon hopped over to Harry's partner and the two started to chase around the room like two kids fresh out of the burrow. Something toppled to the ground with a thud and Harry rolled his eyes.

"No matter their age…" he muttered.

Ash laughed.

"Dad? What…? Who…?"

Both men turned and Ash kept his loose, unthreatening stance. Harry smiled at his son as the two Pikachus stopped their game and looked at the newcomer.

Harry's partner happily greeted the younger Goodman and Ash's waved a paw.

Tim blinked and cautiously entered the apartment, carrying take-out in a large bag, and Pokémon snacks on another. He had stopped at a fast food place to get their lunch. Now his eyes met Harry's.

"You okay?" he wanted to know, voice holding a careful note with a hint of steel.

"I'm fine."

His son's eyes narrowed a little at the visitor, the frown tell-tale of him raking his brain where he might have seen the man before. Harry decided to do the introductions.

"Tim, this is Ash Ketchum. Ash, my son Tim."

Tim gaped. Of course, as an aspiring Pokémon trainer he had read up on all the important trainers and influential people. Before Harry had caught the name Ash Ketchum in connection with Mewtwo he recalled having seen or heard it from Tim. His boy had been gushing over how he wanted to be such a great trainer, too.

So many years ago.

Before…

Harry bit back the still lingering pain.

"Nice to meet you, Tim," Ash said pleasantly. "I think I have to thank you, too, for saving my partner."

As star-struck as Tim appeared, the realization hit him like a cold bucket of water.

"Mewtwo…! He's… your Pokémon partner?" Tim whispered, shocked.

Ash shrugged. "Yes and no. Something between those two, I guess. Mewtwo isn't your regular Pokémon, as you might have figured out already."

Harry snorted and Tim managed a smile. "You can say that again."

"He's so much more powerful than any of them," Tim said, clearly drawn between awe and trepidation. "Howard called him the most powerful of all Pokémon."

Ash said nothing. Harry understood and his detective skills filled in the blanks at an amazing speed. He had done his homework on Mewtwo, had read all the files Howard Clifford had given him to prepare himself for a possible confrontation, and he knew his son had had encounters with the psychic Pokémon.

A Pokémon that could transfer a human soul into a human body. Just like that. And also undo it. It boggled the mind and whenever he thought about it too much, it gave him the creeps and left him sleepless.

"I know Clifford wanted him for his psychic powers," Tim went on, "and I saw what he did… and it was terrifying and terrible and… amazing. He healed Pikachu. He saved my dad… He saved the city! He undid it all and it was incredible!"

Ash nodded. "Mewtwo is not a bad guy. He might have started out hating humanity, but he's… come around. Sort of." He quirked a little smile. "I came back to thank you, Tim. You and your dad both. You risked a lot and you saved him. And the whole city in the process."

"Wasn't planning on being a hero," Tim told him.

"No one ever does, and then you suddenly save the world."

Both Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly. They were sitting amiably together on the desk, munching on cookies Harry didn't know he had, watching the humans. His partner was still wearing his beloved detective hat.

"Roger's turning the company around, I heard," Harry said, eyes straying into the general direction of the skyscraper that was one of the most recognizable landmarks of Ryme City, Clifford Enterprises. "Doing everything to help with whatever is needed to undo what his father has done. It's good press," he added wryly. "A lot of good press. With the scrutiny he's under he won't take a single wrong step."

"It will take a long time to get rid of the R on the streets," Ash sighed. "They produced massive quantities."

"I know. At least there won't be any more. Ryme City isn't perfection, but it's a good place to be for Pokémon and people."

_"Pika!"_

He shot his little partner a warm smile and the Pikachu beamed, cookie crumbs stuck to his fut.

"I agree," Ash said calmly. "This is the future. Cooperation, not staged battles in arenas. There will always be the underground fights and school yard encounters, but the world is slowly changing."

"But you and Mewtwo aren't coming back," Tim stated. "To Ryme City."

The other shook his head. "Not any time soon, no. This will blow over, but whoever digs deep enough will know he was here. Someone else might think he would make some prized possession or be useful for whatever their plans are. I'm not going to let that happen again."

Harry heard it in Ash's voice, saw it in the dark eyes, and he knew that the other man would stand by his promise. There was a touch of sharp-edged steel, something old and powerful interwoven in the words, that had him shiver.

"Clifford has a lot on Mewtwo," he said evenly.

"I know. Nothing I can do about it. Or anyone. Even if that data disappears, there will always be more. A lot already exists. All the two of us can do is hide for a while, keep a low profile, disappear for the time being."

"Not much of a life," Harry told the younger man, sympathizing.

"Better than a lab and a containment field."

He winced. Yeah. Much better.

"So I'm not going to ask where you're going then," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Ash chuckled. "Like you would expect an answer?"

"Nope."

"So, can any of you give me a lift? I didn't actually drive here and my mode of transportation is parked a little ways off. And there's no bus stop close by."

Tim cleared his throat and nodded at the food. "How about lunch first?"

"Unless you don't like Assorted Take-Out," Harry joked. "Because my son and I can't really decide on what to get, so it's normally something of everything."

"Sounds good. I'm not a picky eater."

xXxXxXx

Lunch turned into a long talk, Tim finally giving in to his curiosity about Ash Ketchum's life, his travels, the Pokémon he had trained and met. Their Pikachu had curled up together, snoozing, and Harry made coffee as the hours went by.

He felt more relaxed by the minute, mostly because Ash was an easy guy to be around. There really were no hard feelings.

In the end he even told the younger man how he had found Mewtwo and how much he had known about Ash's involvement with the powerful being – hardly anything; Ash had looked rather relieved.

"We're not going to tell anyone about what we know," he promised him.

"Thank you."

"Mewtwo saved us. All of us," Tim added. "He didn't have to. I think we owe him more than anyone can ever repay."

"Keeping us out of the press is thanks enough."

tbc...


	8. Chapter 8

Howard Clifford hadn't been thrown into jail, the keys forgotten. He had been placed under twenty-four hour surveillance, almost like house arrest, but not in his own, comfortable home. He was in a medical facility, treated for his worsening symptoms and failing health. He hadn't done himself any favor, transferring his consciousness, and medical personnel kept him under close watch. Cutting the neural link so suddenly had left him in even worse condition than before.

Mewtwo had found it rather easy to enter the facility. No one saw him, except a few Pokémon, who gazed at him almost reverently.

None of them sounded an alarm to their human partners. They watched, not cowed but respectful.

Coming back to Ryme City had been accompanied by conflicting emotions. He knew the town as such had done him no harm; everyone here had been a victim, too. He still felt unwell, edgy, expecting traps.

Ash hadn't asked him to come along; Mewtwo had made his own, informed decision. It had been largely influenced by his instinctual reaction to a possible separation from his partner. Mewtwo was as annoyed as he was embarrassed by it.

He hadn't been able to stand letting Ash out of his sight for the first few days of their reunion. His mind knew the human was there, but he needed to see him, too. Yes, it was annoying. Yes, it was embarrassing. Yes, he wanted to lash out at something because in his mind, he was weak.

That panic had settled down after a while.

The attachment to Ash not so much.

So when Ash had decided to come back to Ryme City, he had tagged along – to find the man who had brought so much pain and suffering.

Howard Clifford was awake, sitting in a wheelchair at the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing over the city. He appeared thinner, older, hair in disarray, dressed in warm clothes and covered by a blanket.

Mewtwo felt rage rise inside him as he laid eyes on his tormentor, but he quickly clamped it down.

He hadn't come here to hurt or kill. Never to kill.

Actually, he had no real idea why he was here.

To see the fragile vessel of the man who had wanted to control him? The man who had captured him, had used him, had hurt him so much, who had threatened his bonded partner?

"I knew I'd see you again," Clifford spoke up, breaking the silence. His eyes were on the reflection of Mewtwo in the window. "I just don't know whether you're my executioner or have simply come to gloat."

His laugh was no more than a wheeze. He turned the wheelchair and the sallow, gray skin and sunken eyes almost gave him a grotesque, death-like appearance. Mewtwo felt no satisfaction at seeing the human like that. That alone almost surprised him.

::Neither:. He broadcast, voice cold and dark, a promise of death and destruction. ::You aren't worth it::

Howard had the gall to laugh. "I bested you, Mewtwo. I caught the most powerful of them all. You were my final victory over this failing body!"

::You lost::

"But I will always be the one who captured you. Twice."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, but he refused to be baited. He pushed the vicious, dark and deadly side away.

"Twice," the man repeated, cackling.

::You didn't capture me::

Not in any way a Pokémon trainer would see as honorable. There had never been a fight, a battle of wills, or an offer of friendship. It had been violence and force, those mechanic abominations trapping him, force fields incapacitating his body and mind.

"I had you in my power. Contained. You were mine, Mewtwo." Howard smirked. "Just because it wasn't the Pokémon way doesn't mean it isn't the truth."

::You threatened my partner. You made me believe you had abducted him::

Clifford grinned more, showing teeth. "I did my research. Your encounters aren't well-documented, but I knew where to dig. I knew he was important enough. I should have grabbed the boy after all. It might have cowed you enough not to fight me."

Mewtwo curled his hands into fists and Clifford laughed again, ending with a wet cough.

"You have weaknesses, Mewtwo. One of the biggest is your human partner."

No. No, not a weakness. His strength. Always his strength.

::You made a mistake, Howard Clifford, capturing me, thinking you could control me::

"It was never about controlling you, clone. It was about your body. About your abilities. I needed them to realize my vision. Only the muscle, not the brain." The feverish expression was almost surreal and Mewtwo recoiled in disgust at the emotions he could sense. "Humanity could evolve to be so much more, unhindered by our failing human bodies! I discovered a cure for humanity!"

Cure humanity? Evolve? Mewtwo felt sick to the bone, to his very soul. Human minds had pushed into foreign bodies, unaccustomed to their new physical forms, abilities and needs. Unable to return to their old lives and jobs. The Pokémons' minds would either remain in a state of stasis, be absorbed, or would have withered away.

::You would have sacrificed two species for your dream?::

"Sacrifice is necessary to attain your goal! Human minds merged with Pokémon bodies! The best of both worlds! The future!"

Mewtwo knew how he had felt. He wouldn't have stopped fighting the invasion; ever. But he wouldn't have been able to ever win either.

Howard's eyes held an insane glint and his hands were shaking, the skin brittle and covered in spots. He was dying, Mewtwo knew. Soon.

And his legacy of pain would be forever burned into the psychic Pokemon's mind. The city would recover, but the history books would reflect the deeds for generations to come.

"Whatever you do now, Mewtwo, whatever anyone does, my legacy will live on! I planted the spark! One day it will be the future!"

No, it wouldn't be. Ever.

He reached for the sick, twisted mind, felt the venomous darkness and fever, and he simply erased the memory of their conversation. Mewtwo didn't go so far as to erase every single event. The man would be tried, though he doubted he would survive to the end of that trial, or see a prison if he did.

Clifford's head sank forward, the man falling asleep, and Mewtwo stared at the fragile, human form.

One human. Just one human had been enough.

His hands curled briefly into fists, then he forced himself to let go of the negative emotions, the feeling of hatred.

Yes, one human had been enough to rekindle his conviction that humanity was evil. Another single human had doused that flame once again, because Ash Ketchum wasn't evil. Neither were Ash's friends.

Mewtwo left as quietly as he had come, streaking up into the sky and out of the city.

*xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Harry, Tim, two Pikachus and Ash had all piled into Harry's compact and navigated through the moderate traffic of Ryme City. Ash watched the scenery outside, both his and Harry's Pikachu quietly talking to themselves as they enjoyed the ride, glued to the window, watching the world go by.

It was exciting to be here, Ash got from his best and oldest friend. He liked the city. It smelled interesting, the many Pokémon and their partners were fascinating, and he wouldn't mind visiting again in the future, but only if Mewtwo was up to it.

Ash smiled a little. Yeah, that was doubtful.

Harry's Pikachu agreed with the sentiment. _"Kah,"_ he only said.

It got him a brief smile from Ash.

"You understand him, don't you?" Tim asked, eyes wide.

"Yes. Not words, just… a general idea."

Tim silently studied the two Pikachu who were avidly staring out the window. He nodded after a moment. "It's not like when my dad's soul was in his Pikachu."

"No," Ash agreed. "It's also something I have to thank my partner for. Mewtwo's abilities have… bled off a little. It doesn't work for all Pokémon; some have a very difficult… well, dialect." He grinned. "From them it's usually emotions."

"Like how they… perceive us?"

Another nod. "Yes. No matter our language, no matter theirs, emotions are always the same. It's what they read, can feel, and understand."

Pikachu pressed his nose and paws against the screen, tail shaking with excitement. Harry's made happy little noises. Ash had to laugh as they pointed out all the interesting things to see.

"Unless they're artificially created in a lab and speak out language," Harry remarked.

"Mewtwo is unique in many ways."

"I understand where Howard was coming from. It's how he roped me into this whole thing," the detective went on. "Pokémon bring out the best in us." He glanced at his son. "We grow together."

"But as separate beings," Tim added.

Ash scratched his Pikachu's head a little and got himself a happy chortle in return. "We are two species. We both bring ourselves into this partnership, our abilities, our limitations. Together we're better."

Harry met his eyes in the rearview mirror, smiling briefly. "I think that's true for many partnerships. Sometimes it just needs a little help for one or the other to see it."

Truer words had never been spoken, Ash thought, reading between the lines.

tbc...


	9. Chapter 9

Mewtwo was there when the Goodmans dropped Ash off far outside city limits, just a few miles away from the destroyed PCL lab where everything had started. Hovering in the air above them, eyes glowing, he was as awe-inspiring and imposing as Harry remembered.

Their encounter had been rather brief, but it had left an impression. He had never talked to the artificially born being, had only laid eyes on him for that one moment before Howard's men had trapped him in the containment field, but even that had startled something in Harry.

Now that something was back and he tensed a little when those large eyes fell on him. The Pokémon looked… he had no other description than 'eternally unamused and forever scowling' for it. Those heavy, sharp brows and defined edges, as well as the imposing size and feline look, did all that. He was like an avenging spirit, protective of the one human he trusted, distrustful of those accompanying him.

Harry moved closer to his son, protective in turn. His Pikachu regarded the other Pokémon curiously, head tilted.

_"Piikaa,"_ he murmured, ears flicking. _"Pi?"_

::You have nothing to fear. I will not hurt your son, Harry Goodman:: the low, dark mind-voice sounded in his head. ::Or you::

It had a weird echo, like his brain couldn't decide whether he heard a male or female voice, whether it was even a human voice. Harry had no idea if this was just him or everyone.

At least it didn't sound sinister and threatening. The mind-contact was gentle, without pressure, without the threat of wiping his brain or worse.

"Uh, hey again," Tim managed, voice careful.

Harry was silent, just staring at the impressive entity, swallowing dryly. He was tense, scared and curious in one. The most powerful Pokémon in the world, capable of transferring a human soul into a Pokémon body, telepathic, telekinetic, and so much more.

::You saved me. I owe you my thanks::

"After I led them to you," Harry answered, voice filled with self-loathing.

::Not many possess that skill::

Mewtwo sounded almost… amused? Harry's eyes narrowed a little and he thought he saw a tiny smirk in the otherwise very neutral face. Mewtwo did threatening very well, but yes, there was a smirk. He could see it more now. From the way Ash was smiling, it wasn't his imagination.

Damn, the guy possessed a sense of humor?

::Not many can find rare, unique Pokémon. Even less manage to impress them::

Okay, yeah, that was sarcasm. And a hint. A big, old hint. Harry had done his research on Ash Ketchum and he knew what Mewtwo was referring to. Whether this implied Mewtwo was impressed by his skill was open for discussion, but it was hinted at.

"You're an impressive investigator," Ash told him, repeating what he had said before. "You found Mewtwo against all odds. You also freed my partner, risking your lives." He nodded at Harry's Pikachu.

The little Pokémon gave them a proud look. _"Pikapi!"_

"Yeah, well, call me what you want, but I didn't really get to the bottom of it all, saw the real truth, until it was too late! Some investigator!" Harry's hands balled into fists. "I trusted Clifford. And why? Because he was this great giver? The philanthropist? The man who made Ryme City what it is today? I fell for it all like a rookie!"

Smooth words, hitting all the right spots. Yeah, Clifford had been a manipulative bastard alright! The poor, ill-stricken man whose millions couldn't buy him his health, but who wanted the best there was for all mankind. What a load of rubbish! Now he saw it. Now! After everything had fallen apart like a house of cards!

Mewtwo floated closer to the ground, almost touching down. ::Do not blame yourself. Howard Clifford deceived us all. He is evil::

Yeah, he was, Harry agreed. Didn't make it better, though. "Shouldering blame and feeling guilty is a very human thing."

Ash chuckled at the remark.

Mewtwo tilted his head a little, looking amused again. ::Forgiveness isn't a 'thing' I normally do. Humans have hunted me all my life. They capture me, try to control me::

Harry winced, as did Tim.

::I wanted to trust those who created me. They deceived me. I was desperate to trust another human who offered me a partnership, but he deceived me just the same, wanted me as a weapon. I decided that humanity is evil::

Harry briefly closed his eyes. Yep, he had played right into that, too. As had Clifford. This was the most powerful psychic Pokémon out there and it could wipe people's minds, could push their souls into Pokémon, and he suspected there was more, probably not even a limit, to what Mewtwo was capable of.

::But I have learned that I can trust humans, despite all the pain they brought me. I learned to trust Ash:: Mewtwo looked at the young man. ::Through him I learned that there aren't just evil people. There isn't just black. No one is pure, but there are all kinds of shades. You have to learn to trust again in those who need you. I saved you because you are essentially good, Harry Goodman. Your intentions were never to deliver me to a lab to be tortured::

"No! Of course not!" Harry exclaimed, horrified.

The presence in his mind was suddenly sharp, dangerous, insanely powerful, and it saw what it needed to see. He was frozen in fear and awe. Deep down in his very soul he remembered this power, how it had fused his dying body and soul with that of his volunteering Pikachu. Fragments came to his waking mind, of seeing the psychic Pokémon hovering above his unconscious form, feeling the raw energy everywhere, the thunderstorm that touched his mind and just… pushed it all into Pikachu.

_"Piiih-ka…" _Small paws held on to him, the soft pikas soothing. Harry shivered a little and his Pikachu rubbed a cheek against his. _"Pika."_

He reached up and scratched one long ear. "Thanks, buddy," he whispered.

::This is why I saved you:: Mewtwo whispered. ::Your intentions. Your honor. Your courage::

Those violet eyes were mesmerizing and he couldn't tear his gaze away. "Uhm, okay. Thanks. I… thank you."

::You came back, Harry Goodman. You came back and you enabled me to flee from the containment tank. I knew of their intentions to hurt you, to kill you, but I was too late to save you::

"You did. Well, in a way." Harry glanced at his Pikachu. The Pokemon shrugged a little.

::We both made mistakes. We both paid for them. We both did what we could to atone. I could relieve you of your guilt::

Harry's eyes widened briefly as the implications became clear, then he immediately shook his head. "No!"

::Very well::

And yep, that sounded like a verbal pat on the head, approval, and absolution in one.

xXxXxXx

Tim looked between his father and the most powerful of all Pokémon, the only of its kind. He saw the awe and confusion there, and he knew how his dad felt. Mewtwo was unlike any other psychic type, or any other Pokémon. He was a bottomless well of power, a man-made copy of the ancient Mew, and humans had not simply stopped at the copy. They had tweaked his DNA to have the perfect specimen, a weapon. Just hearing his voice, especially when directed only at one mind, was enough to bring a person to his knees.

Seeing him now, healthy and whole, gave Tim a kind of closure he hadn't been aware of needing. And hearing his voice without seeing the lips move, without much of a facial expression, was downright uplifting.

He still very clearly remembered that moment in Clifford's office, seeing Mewtwo in the containment chamber, the neural link on his head, and his almost desperate plea projected at Tim to run.

That would be forever burned into his memory.

Tim had never felt so helpless, so shocked, so disgusted and ashamed in one.

Howard's takeover had turned Mewtwo into a puppet. He had used his voice, his actual vocal cords, not the telepathic communication, probably because he had had no idea how to. Tim had been repulsed when he had seen Mewtwo's features twist with the mad man's fervor, with such animation, such intensity, and such ugliness.

It had been wrong. So very, very wrong.

Mewtwo wasn't made of stone. He had expressions and while most of them happened in the large, violet eyes, Tim had seen his lips twist into smiles, the brows lower briefly into a frown.

Just never in such a… human way. Howard Clifford had made the body he had taken over human. All moves, all gestures, it had been Clifford, not Mewtwo.

Unnatural.

Surreal.

Now he was back to normal, he was a Pokémon, he was Mewtwo, and all his mimicry and gestures reflected that. And he was Ash's Pokémon partner. Tim almost laughed happily at that. Mewtwo wasn't alone in the world. He had someone to rely on, who had his back. Who would protect him, and he had friends through that person.

Mewtwo inclined his head slightly, probably picking up a lot of his thoughts, though Tim had no idea how receptive the psychic Pokémon was. Could he read everyone's thoughts? Or was it just his way of communication? Could he select how much input he got if he was also receptive? He had to, he decided. Otherwise the whole world would be in his head.

So many questions…

"Where will you go now?" he asked, then groaned silently. So many questions and he asked a stupid one!

Mewtwo's gaze transferred fully to him and Tim cringed as those intense eyes seemed to look right into his soul. Pikachu climbed onto Harry's shoulder, murmuring to him in soothing pikas. His father looked a little shaken, rattled, was trying to get his emotions under control. Tim understood the guilt. He felt the same. Essentially, they had both, separately, led Clifford to Mewtwo, and each time he had been captured.

Ash shrugged. "We need a vacation. There are also a lot of friends and my family who will be worried after seeing so much of Mewtwo on the news."

That was more information than either of them would have expected.

Mewtwo stepped closer, tall and imposing even next to a grown human like Ash Ketchum, who wasn't small. His fascinating eyes fell on Harry, then on the Pikachu he called his partner.

::When I saved your mind, it gave your Pikachu the ability to talk to one particular human. I took that from him, and from you, when I reversed it all once more. If you want, I would give that back to you. Both of you::

Tim glanced at his father, then at the Pikachu. "He isn't my partner. He's my dad's."

"It's my Pikachu's choice, too," Harry stated firmly.

Mewtwo's mouth formed an almost-smile as the Pikachu in in question gave his own opinion.

::It won't be the same as before. Your soul in your Pikachu's body enabled this special kind of communication:: he went on. ::You will be able to understand your partner in a way no one else can. Your brain might translate it into words, but it won't be words::

_"Pikapi!"_ Harry's partner insisted and nodded.

"Looks like we have a vote," the investigator commented and smiled.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed a bright white-blue and he held out a hand, fingers spread. The light that formed around the three fingers was too bright and too blinding, and the two humans and one Pokémon looked away. Tim felt a tingling sensation, then there was a moment of almost deafness, and the light was gone.

"Uh," he managed.

_"You can understand me?"_ he heard.

And it wasn't his dad. Tim wasn't even sure it was really a voice. It was more like a… sensation?

"Pikachu?"

The small Pokémon beamed at him. _"Yes!"_

He laughed and from the way his father was smiling in disbelief, he had heard it, too.

_"Pikapika. Pi."_

Ash's Pikachu looked pleased as he sat beside his human friend and when Tim looked at him, the yellow mouse Pokémon smiled just as much as Harry's. He hadn't understood what Ash's friend had said, only caught a general idea, but he had definitely heard Harry's.

::You will be the only two humans to understand him:: Mewtwo announced. ::As before. This time it will be him, not the merged consciousness::

"Thank you," Harry said and it was heart-felt.

::We might not meet again, Harry and Tim Goodman. Know that my regard for humans has risen with your actions. You saved me. You saved countless lives::

"And no one will ever really know the full truth," Harry stated calmly.

Because even though Lucy had been part of the story and it had given her the career boost she had been looking for, a few facts remained a secret.

"What about… everything else?" Tim asked, gesturing toward the general location of the abandoned, condemned PCL facility. "The Greninja and the Torterra?"

"The Torterra have become one with the land. Unless disturbed they'll remain here forever," Ash told them. "The Greninja are free of Clifford's control. They will be guards, keeping an eye out for trespassers. They understand what Mewtwo expects of them, what we all expect of them, and they won't do more than scare intruders off."

Harry looked as relieved as Tim felt.

::No one will hurt them again. Any of them:: Mewtwo's voice was hard.

"We'll be off now," Ash said and there was suddenly a bubble around him and Mewtwo, both of them rising a little off the ground. "Don't take it personally, but I hope we'll never have to see each other again."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. We all have to get back to our lives, right?"

Ash held out a hand. Harry shook it, as did Tim.

"Should you need help anyway," the detective said, "you know where to find us. Just call. Night or day. Or just for coffee." He smiled.

Ash laughed. "I appreciate it."

"Good luck. And thank you. For everything."

Mewtwo said nothing, just inclined his head. His eyes suddenly lit up a bright bluish white from deep within, only increasing the eeriness of his looks. A faint outline of a bubble formed around him and Ash.

And then they streaked away.

Tim expelled a breath. "Intense," he whispered.

Pikachu trilled softly.

Harry reached up and scratched the Pokemon's ear. It got him an appreciative noise.

"We should get home," he said, looking at his son.

Tim nodded. "You think we'll see them again?"

"Probably not. Maybe? No idea."

He smiled briefly.

They all got into the car, Pikachu looking out the back windows into the sky as if he could catch a last look at Mewtwo.

_"Probably not,"_ he agreed with his human partner.

xXxXxXx

They headed back to Ryme City, to their jobs, to their lives.

Harry was turning the encounter with Ash and later Mewtwo over and over in his head as he drove. He had been forgiven, but he still felt that tightness, that last, lingering guilt over his involvement in the whole Clifford mess.

This would take a while to go away. And he might never be able to get completely over it. His job was to investigate, to be suspicious, and he usually had a good sense for lies.

Not this time.

Harry knew he couldn't let this one case influence everything else that from now on came his way. He would have to be as open and neutral as before, and thankfully he had an assistant now. Still, he knew it would require work on his part.

Ryme City came into view and part of him relaxed more and more as the sights grew to fill their forward view.

This was his city; the one he loved and protected.

The one he had helped save.

"Coffee?" he asked, breaking the silence in the car.

Tim smiled. "Really?"

"Really. I only had, oh, maybe just five cups?"

_"Six,"_ Pikachu said unhelpfully.

"The last one doesn't count. You drank the rest."

_"You weren't drinking it."_

"I was. You just grabbed it."

The banter felt good and he relaxed more. Tim shot them both amused looks and Harry grinned at his son.

"I'm buying."

"You better. My boss hasn't paid me yet."

Harry chuckled. "Kid, you need a better job," he teased.

tbc...


	10. Chapter 10

The sky was nearly a perfect blue. Clear, barely any clouds – just a hint of white painted across the azure – and the sun was shining brightly. A fresh breeze came in across the ocean. Tiny flowers were blooming everywhere, a rage of colors among the green.

But a storm had been announced for tonight and the people living in this part of the country knew to listen to such warnings. It was never an idle warning, what with the weather changes in autumn sometimes coming so suddenly.

"Ash!"

Delia Ketchum hugged her son so hard, Ash nearly couldn't breathe.

"Mom," he managed.

She laughed and stepped back, still holding him, eyes alight with happiness. He was by now taller than her, but it somehow made him feel like he was ten years old again.

"How are you, honey? Are you alright? Both of you? Why didn't you come by sooner? Where's Mewtwo?"

::You heard her. Where are you?::

There was a moment of hesitation, then Mewtwo landed gracefully just behind Ash. Delia gave him a wide, welcoming smile.

"It's so good to see you both! Especially after the news coverage from Ryme City. I was so, so worried!" She gestured invitingly toward the house. "Come on in. We have so much to talk about. You're lucky. I just finished a batch of cookies."

Mewtwo was hesitant. He knew Delia Ketchum, but there had only ever been two brief, personal encounters.

::She's not gonna bite:: Ash teased.

He shot him a narrow-eyed look, which had the human grin.

::Mom loves you::

::She barely knows me::

::She knows we connected and she knows it's a good thing::

The Pokémon blinked, at a loss for words. Ash walked into his old home and Mewtwo followed with slow steps.

Delia didn't stop mother-henning them and Ash found himself eating more than he had ever eaten, though his body reminded him that yes, nutrition was good. And his mom's cookies were amazing as always. Mewtwo was silently amused, but he did accept a Pokémon snack and chewed silently. Ash sensed his own pleasure at the taste and texture.

His mom didn't treat Mewtwo any differently than any other of his friends, offering him more food and placing a bottle of water on the table.

::She is… caring::

::Yep. That's mom::

Mewtwo fell silent, thoughtful.

xXxXxXx

They talked. Well, mostly Ash. He told his mother about what had really happened, how he had been lured away, how Howard Clifford, the visionary of Ryme City, had turned out to be the brains behind a gigantic operation that had nearly destroyed everything the city stood for, and how Mewtwo had been captured and imprisoned.

Delia's expression turned from furious to compassionate and she met the large eyes of her son's Pokémon partner.

"I'm so, so sorry, Mewtwo."

::You are not at fault. You are one of many humans, not the one who masterminded my capture::

She nodded, never dropping her earnest gaze. "I know. But I also know how hard it was for you to trust a single human. You had to learn and it was a difficult road. You found someone to trust and you have his family and friends, but humanity in general can be… difficult to trust."

Mewtwo blinked.

"I know how fragile trust can be," Delia added softly.

::My trust in your son stems from more than just frail emotional bonds::

Ash felt the swirl of emotions and thoughts around the edge of his mind and he let them brush over his consciousness in a brief caress. Delia watched them and smiled.

::Our bond is more than empty words and gestures. It cannot be tainted by what Howard Clifford did:: the psychic Pokémon added, voice hard and final.

"Emotional maturity, mom," Ash stage-whispered, laughing at the look his partner shot him. Those narrowed eyes promised retaliation.

Delia smiled, nodding. "I'm glad Ash is there for you."

And Ash knew he would never regret this partnership. He hadn't become the Pokémon Master he had dreamed of when he was just a child. He had won all the badges, had collected them proudly, and he had had a row of wonderful Pokémon friends. He had learned a lot in his journeys, had matured, had gained many friends, and he had met powerful, seemingly omnipotent legendary Pokémon.

Only to discover that being the so-called chosen one meant something completely different.

The probably most powerful Pokémon in all history was his friend and partner. Their minds were linked, and while it might be seen as restrictive and maybe a chain around the neck, it was liberating and amazing to have.

xXxXxXx

The spent the night in Ash's old room.

It was no longer the room of a ten year old. It had grown and matured with the child it had belonged to. Yes, there were posters. Yes, there were framed pictures of Ash and his friends, as well as their Pokémon, all smiling or laughing into the camera. Yes, there were a few trophies and badges; the rest his mother had collected and painstakingly wrapped and boxed.

Mewtwo was very interested in looking at the memorabilia, intrigued by the achievements he knew about but had never seen.

Ash just shrugged it off.

::You could have truly become the very best,:: Mewtwo told him.

"When you're ten, it's the greatest dream of your life. When you grow, you want it all the more because of so many people who are still better than you. But then you hook up with a powerful Pokémon and end up not caring about it at all." He smiled.

Mewtwo tilted his head. ::You met more than one of my kind::

"Mewtwo, there is only one of your kind," he reminded him gently. "Yes, there are legendary and god-like beings out there, but you're not like them."

::Because I am a clone::

"No. Because you're you."

He regarded the human silently. Then, ::You make less sense than usual::

Ash laughed. "Okay. Thanks, I think. But what I want to say is, you and I clicked. I never had that with any other Pokémon, god-like or not. Giving up this," he gestured at the posters, "was a small price to pay. Maybe I would have become the best, a Master, but then what? As a kid I never thought about what I would do with all those achievements. I never had plans. Now I do. I don't regret a day in my life."

Mewtwo was silent again, eyes on the framed pictures, on Ash as a child. That's how they had met. They had both matured since then, but he somehow felt that Ash had achieved more. His ability to leave the negative behind, to accept and live with the bad things that had happened, with setbacks, with people being, well, people, was by far superior to how Mewtwo had dealt with his life-altering encounters.

Maybe that was why they balanced each other so well.

xXxXxXx

After dinner, Ash strolled around the tiny assortment of houses that was Pallet Town. Not much had changed. There was hardly a lot of fluctuation and the word "town" was highly overrated. He dropped at Professor Oak's, despite the late hour, since the lights were still on and an assortment of night-active Pokémon were milling around.

They chirped and trilled, curious about the strange but so familiar newcomer.

Samuel Oak was happy to see him, ushering him inside, already asking a million questions, and they spent hours talking about whatever came to mind. Mewtwo had avoided the man who was quite interested all things Pokémon. It was too much a reminder of his past.

Ash kept half a mind of his partner, but otherwise had an engaging conversation until late into the night.

As he walked back through the quiet street, Mewtwo touched down noiselessly and joined him.

"I owe him a lot. He got me interested and invested in Pokémon. Like so many children. People like the professor help us understand Pokémon, how to handle them, treat them, care for them."

Mewtwo didn't comment, just listened.

"And he and others like him pair up prospective trainers with their starter Pokémon." Ash smiled a little wistfully.

::You respect him greatly::

"Yeah."

xXxXxXx

Mewtwo would never confess to actively seeking out the comfort of his human partner again when they went to bed. It just happened. Delia had prepared the bed, which was just about big enough to accommodate them, and Ash hadn't said anything about the physical closeness. Pikachu had curled up as well, already asleep. Ash's palm was running over his head, neck or back in a calming caress. He listened to the pulses of the other mind, both of them balanced in each other.

There was a soul-deep quietness to Ash's presence, so relaxed and easy. It seeped into Mewtwo, had him relax and unwind, too. There was no rush, no pressure, no need to move. There was nothing but this feeling of being truly home.

It wasn't uncommon for them to be this close when they were alone, when they went to sleep. Mewtwo didn't need as much sleep as a human, but when he joined Ash, it was like that. The time at Frank's place had cemented the fact that neither wanted to be alone. For Mewtwo it was like a mental relaxation exercise to let himself drift with the waves of his anchor. He never went deep, never accessed a memory, just let himself go and not worry about anything. Ash rarely felt the touch enough to react, though he was aware of what his partner was doing. Connecting, feeling the resonance, just being there…

xXx

There were no more nightmares, just healing, some faint scars that would disappear in time, too.

Being with Ash helped immensely.

xXx

The night had seen the predicted change in the weather. Rain had come down hard and the winds were gusty, blowing strongly across the land. They had rattled at the windows, doing no damage, and the rushing sound of the rain had actually been rather soothing.

Mewtwo had only woken briefly, checking his surroundings and finding nothing amiss. Pikachu had been sleeping next to Ash and the house had been quiet.

Pikachu murmured a drowsy question.

::Nothing:: Mewtwo replied softly.

The dark eyes narrowed.

He smiled back. ::Thunder::

_"Piiika."_ Translation: you're safe. We are all safe.

Of course he was safe. The weather didn't threaten him. Lightning didn't affect him.

Pikachu sat up and huffed a little.

::I know I am safe here::

The small Pokémon nodded. This was Ash's room, his old home, a place Pikachu knew. He curled back up again, nose buried in his jagged tail, and went back to sleep.

Mewtwo closed his eyes, only drifting along the surface, but he wasn't on high alert either.

When sleep eluded him, as he actually felt very much awake, Mewtwo simply watched the dark world outside, listening to the rain, and now and then he looked at his human partner.

Ash slept on, completely unconcerned.

Outside the torrential rains continued.

tbc...


	11. Chapter 11

The rain was still there in the morning. It was a pitter-patter against the windows and the roof, obscuring the landscape, and the sky was a leaden gray. Now and then gusts of winds drove more rain against the panes.

A complete contrast to the day before. The forecast was for no change today and possible better weather by the end of the week.

Delia was already moving around when Mewtwo left the shared room, his mind still firmly meshed with Ash's. He kept the young man sleeping because he needed it. Pikachu had opened one eye, watched him for a second or two, then had buried back against Ash and continued his dozing.

Mewtwo lingered around the living area for a while, inspecting the collection of pictures and books, eyes taking in every detail. There were people he didn't know in the pictures, but most were of Ash. He finally walked the short distance from the bedroom to the kitchen, steps silent.

"Good morning," Delia greeted him cheerfully when he entered, smiling at the tall Pokémon. "I take it Ash is still asleep?"

"Yes."

He tried not to use solely telepathic communication when he was alone with her, mostly out of respect. Because yes, Mewtwo had great respect for the woman who had raised Ash Ketchum.

Delia inclined her head as if acknowledging it. "He always overslept as a child. Even the first day of his travels. It's how he ended up with Pikachu. He was late, he had no other Pokémon to choose from, and Pikachu was as enthusiastic as Ash to be paired with the boy who came late."

She smiled fondly and chuckled when the Pikachu in question hopped up onto the table, agreeing whole-heartedly. Apparently he had given up on sleep, too, lured out of bed by the prospect of breakfast. Mewtwo knew the story of their first meeting and it had amused him to no end that this was how his human partner had started out, the chosen one, the one person in this whole world who had a special kind of passive ability that was more powerful than any battle power.

Late to this important event in his life. Late to a choosing. Handed the left-overs, so to speak. And they hadn't even gotten along at first.

"Would you like something to eat?"

Mewtwo pondered the question, then inclined his head. Delia placed a bowl of vegetables and fruit on the table, then added a platter of assorted breads and rolls. He picked a fruit, watching as Pikachu grabbed a cookie and nibbled at it with delight. Delia's fond expression spoke length and she ruffled the Pokémon's head.

The interaction wasn't as puzzling as it would have been a few years ago, but Mewtwo was still not completely at ease with interacting with other humans. He wasn't like Pikachu or the Mr. Mime that seemed to live with Ash's mother and help her on a daily basis. They weren't in any way connected to a human like he was, but the way they behaved around her was of interest to Mewtwo.

The Mr. Mime shuffled around him, wary of the powerful entity, and Delia spoke softly to it. Mewtwo had no idea if it had picked a gender to be addressed with. Pikachu had decided on a male pronoun. Just like Mewtwo had decided that yes, this would fit. Humans thought in genders and while Pokémon had them, they didn't think of themselves as male and female outside breeding season.

His thoughts went along that path for a moment as he watched the Mr. Mime. Delia gave it a task and it happily set about it, leaving them alone again.

Delia gave him the necessary quiet and room, moving about to make her own breakfast and prepare something for her still sleeping son. Mewtwo kept a mental eye on his partner, who was soundly in dreamland.

"Thank you for coming by," she finally said as she sat down and drank her tea. "It was a great relief."

Mewtwo, who had by now eaten almost the whole bowl, sharing it with Pikachu, studied her silently. "He was worried how you would take the news reports."

"And he was right. Seeing the reports, reading newspapers and watching it all on TV, knowing something had happened to you… not seeing Ash…" Delia looked into her tea. "We only exchanged texts, had a few, very short phone calls, but he couldn't really say a lot. He couldn't give me the whole story. I was scared. Now that I know what happened… it still scares me."

"You have my oath that I will do whatever it takes to keep your son safe."

She met his eyes, her own swimming with emotions. "I know that, Mewtwo. But I was scared for you."

He blinked twice, unsure. ::Me?:: he blurted telepathically. ::Why would you be scared for me?::

"Seeing you on the news… I knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong. You wouldn't attack innocents, let alone other Pokémon. Ash wouldn't be far from you either in such a situation. You two lived your own lives, but you also lived them together in so many ways. He always checked in on you, he always returned to see if you were okay, and I know you went to wherever Ash was once or twice."

Yes, Mewtwo was stunned.

"Then you appeared in Ryme City, doing… things. I was scared of what that meant as you acted so differently. And that voice… it wasn't you. I was scared to think of someone taking you away from my son."

Mewtwo was flabbergasted, thoughts almost in chaos. In the back of his mind he felt Ash slowly rise from sleep, but his attention was riveted to Delia.

"You have been hurt enough, hunted enough. You don't deserve to live a life in fear."

"Humans will always hunt what they think will give them power," he stated, battling his emotional turmoil.

"You're not an animal." Delia gave him a tight smile, meeting the violet eyes. "You are not like other Pokémon. You are, forgive me for saying that, evolved. Your intelligence surpasses many humans and you're not a lab specimen, an experiment, but a living, breathing, thinking and feeling being."

_"Pika!"_ Pikachu added, nodding decisively. His eyes held a stern look. _"Pikapi!"_ he agreed with Delia.

She smiled. "You are my son's partner. Family. You are equals. Don't ever throw your life away, Mewtwo. You know Ash wouldn't be able to work through that guilt. I want my son safe, but I also want you safe. You are both very important to me. And you are very important to Ash and always have been."

He stared at her, still speechless, mind rallying to keep up with all the words he had heard. He finally inclined his head and reached for her, his mind implying a hug that was only a psychic level.

::I will, Delia Ketchum. You have my word::

She didn't even startle at the sudden telepathic contact, just smiled and nodded.

::Ash is very important to me, too:: Mewtwo added. ::He is my shield::

"He is your friend and partner."

Yes. Yes, he was.

"Do you have any plans?" she switched topics as she refilled her cup. "What you will do now? You're welcome to stay as long as you want, but I know my son." He smile was fond and exasperated in one.

::I… don't. I suppose Ash will be travelling again::

Because that was what he did. Ash loved visiting new places, meeting new people. He couldn't settle down with a regular job. Sometimes he also returned to those cities and places he had been before in his journeys, visiting friends, making even more, learning new things or offering his knowledge and manpower for whatever was needed. Mewtwo had never been bothered by the time spent apart in the past years. As Delia had already so neatly pointed out: Ash found him or he found Ash, like they were pulled back together to renew the bond.

Right now the very thought to let Ash go off alone again was unbearable.

Delia regarded him thoughtfully. "So will you, I suspect."

He was a little surprised and she smiled.

"I know you despise the proprietary meaning of calling you Ash's Pokémon, but you are in so many ways. You belong together. I think it's time you are together in both your lives. You forged a connection, it grew over the years, and you both acknowledged it. It's about time you understand what it means."

It was a realization he had had in the past months as well. And no, he didn't mind to be called Ash's. It was different. Mewtwo had come to understand what Ash's Pokémon had tried to tell him all that time ago, and he had understood it for a long time on an instinctual level, but the hurt, scarred part had refused to acknowledge it. Belonging to a human had always had a bitter taste to it.

::I… I think so, too::

Ash's waking mind was now more alert and when he shuffled into the kitchen, hair tousled, unshaven, and bleary eyed, Delia held out a cup of coffee. Mewtwo just watched his partner, amused by the sleepy appearance.

"Thanks, mom." He sipped at the dark brew and eyed his Pokémon partner over the rim of his cup. "You're up early."

Mewtwo didn't answer, just took another fruit, the last in the bowl. Pikachu had demolished his second cookie, looking sated and full.

Ash quirked a little smile and grabbed himself breakfast, then sat down. Mewtwo let the conversation between the two humans flow over him.

Outside it was still raining and it didn't look like it would let up any time soon.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They left after a week. A very relaxing week. Mewtwo had felt his spirit unwind, had started to relax, become more settled. Ash's mind was a reflection of that, the calm center, always there, always close, and the Pokémon was rarely away from is partner.

It was embarrassing.

But it healed him.

Instinct, Ash called it. And Mewtwo followed his instincts.

Ash had spent some time around the neighboring towns, hunting for a new mode of transportation. His pick-up had been enough to get him from place to place, and he had had enough room to store whatever he needed, including camping gear and food for a long time.

Now he had to exchange his trusty little vehicle for something that would accommodate Mewtwo as well.

As it turned out he found a sturdy looking RV – more of an off-road, heavy duty truck - with enough head space and just the basics. He didn't plan to live in it, just to get from point A to point B without everyone catching a glimpse of his Pokémon partner. Poké Balls were absolutely out of the question.

::It would ease your travels:: Mewtwo told Ash.

"Nope."

::I consent to temporarily being inside them::

"Big fat nope, Mewtwo. No Poké Balls."

The large eyes looked at Ash. He met the gaze, refusing to budge.

Mewtwo examined the vehicle, then shrugged. ::Your decision::

Ash grinned. "And it stands. So let's get comfortable!"

xXx

Delia hugged the living daylights out of her son when they finally said their goodbyes. She didn't hug Mewtwo, but her eyes spoke more than words or gestures could.

::I will protect him:: Mewtwo repeated. ::And we will learn::

It was a promise and an oath.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They chose one of the Pokémon preservations Ash had visited in his travels to start the training. It was a huge area, patrolled by Pokémon Rangers, and Ash checked in with one woman he knew quite well. Gabriella happily issued a permit for him. They exchanged pleasantries, shared stories, and she handed him a map that gave him an idea where the hiking hot spots were.

He planned to be far away from them.

"Drop in before you leave," she offered. "We Rangers always have the best pastries."

"I will. And thanks."

xXx

The goal wasn't to amp up Mewtwo's fighting abilities, his psychic prowess or to teach him new moves. Ash had no intention to square off against anyone any time soon or ever, unless they had to defend themselves. This was solely to strengthen what was already between them, to attune their senses to one another.

Mewtwo hadn't been able to tell whether or not Ash was close or hurt. He hadn't been able to reach him over the distance even after tearing free.

Ash hadn't caught on to the disrupted bond at all. Yes, there had been this ill at ease sensation, but he hadn't connected the dots.

"We both suck," had been his comment as he drew up plans for efficient training.

Pikachu agreed unrepentantly. Mewtwo was Ash's partner, his Pokémon partner, and while Pikachu was Ash's best friend and very first Pokémon, Mewtwo was so much more.

That's what he told them. In oh-so many and clear words.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Wild Pokémon sometimes sought them out, watching the unknown and new creatures, some curious enough to approach. A few actually let Ash pet them and Mewtwo watched with amusement and interest. The human would always have this pull on even the wildest of Pokémon and somehow, it was all Ash.

They were getting better at the little things and expanded from there. Ash's abilities were still mostly passive, but he was growing into his senses. He couldn't do what Mewtwo was capable of, but he caught a sense of his partner more and more. Even without an active communication between them, Ash could feel him close by.

Increased distance was still a major problem, but neither expected to solve that in just a few days or weeks.

::It's a start:: Mewtwo told him as they sat together, sharing food.

"Yeah. How long do you think we need to get it right?"

Mewtwo tilted his head. ::What is right?::

"Hm. Good question. There is no scale. There's just us."

::Correct. No precedence. There is nothing for us to compare us to::

Ash grinned. "Well, in my book we have made progress."

It got him a nod.

They had made progress in many ways, getting so much closer, and Mewtwo had displayed a for him embarrassing need of physical closeness. Ash found nothing wrong with it. He had had cuddly Pokémon in the past, as well as those who refused to be touched in the beginning and later developed a fondness of their trainer as well.

Mental closeness was a given for them; intimate and intense. The physical side was a growing factor that Ash never commented on, but he readily caressed, petted and hugged the tall Pokémon.

So yes, they had made a lot of progress.

"Good," he now declared. "I think we should get back on the road. I really want to spend some time with civilization."

Mewtwo's tail flicked a little and a wave of apprehension filled their mind connection. ::Where do you plan to go?::

"Well, _I'm_ not going anywhere. But I thought _we_ could visit some old friends?"

::That sounds… acceptable.::

Ash smiled more. "Good."

xXx

The evening was warm and the night pleasant, so Ash spent it outside, with Mewtwo, and Pikachu curled up next to him.

Neither of them mentioned the steady purrs that lulled Ash into sleep.

tbc...


	12. Chapter 12

Misty was excited to see them when both visited. She wrapped Ash in a hug as she called his name, squeezing him tightly. She had grown out her hair, now held back in a loose ponytail, but it was as bright orange as before. Ash would never dare to call her carrot head, but it had always been true.

Her large eyes fell on Mewtwo and she really gave him a once-over. If she was surprised to see the unique being so openly by his human partner's side, she didn't show it.

"Finally worked out you can't be alone all the time?" was the first thing she asked.

Ash laughed, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Yeah."

"Wasn't talking to you, actually." There was an unholy, teasing light in her eyes. "But good for you, too. Took you long enough." Her eyes narrowed at the psychic Pokémon. "For being a superior intelligent psychic being…"

Mewtwo glowered a little, but she wasn't cowed.

Misty had grown into a strong, independent woman, from a strong and independent girl that had sometimes made Ash's journey life quite interesting. Never one to hold back with her opinion, she had been one of Ash's trusted friends all his life, whether they had travelled together or not.

"Are you two okay? Haven't heard a lot of what happened on the news anymore. Seems like they're trying to fade it out, more or less pulling a blanket over it."

"Yeah, they do. I think it's how the city heals. But yes, we're okay."

"How long have I told you?" she challenged. "To get your act together? To stop being such a dumbass?"

"Ages?" Ash hazarded a guess.

She scowled. "This wouldn't have happened if you had a shred of Master Trainer in you, Ash Ketchum!"

Mewtwo bristled at the words.

"Oh, chill," Misty added with a look in his direction. "Ash was the best, probably still is, but the moment you two hooked up, his brain somehow forgot how to work. Training, Ketchum! Training! You wasted years and look what happened!"

"Yes, mom," he laughed. "And we didn't hook up, Misty. We didn't even know there was a connection."

"I give you the first years, but later? That was pure dumbassness."

"Is that even a word?"

"Bite me. You were and still are one of the best, Ash," she drove her point home again. "If you hadn't pulled out of the whole business, you would be a Pokémon Master and you would be among the top five, if not better!"

Mewtwo rumbled, ill at ease because the words roused old emotions, old memories. Ash soothed the spikes automatically, instinctively. He refrained from petting the powerful being, but he was tempted to touch him. He held back, though. This was no longer the privacy of them and a few wild Pokémon. Mewtwo wasn't all too much at ease to start with.

::You know she's not implying I'm your master, Mewtwo::

::She might as well have!:: came the outburst, then Mewtwo fell quiet, emotions settling quickly.

Yes, he was getting better at that. Ash's constant presence was truly an anchor for him, able to smooth the unhealthy surges, giving Mewtwo the necessary balance. It was a compromise between outbursts and eating it up all inside. Neither was healthy in the long run and Mewtwo was learning that. He was learning to open up to the possibilities.

::But she's right that we need to work on a lot. We wasted time, partner. A lot of it.::

::Because we have eternity::

Ash's brows dropped a little. ::Not an excuse. This whole thing happened for a reason and the reason was not to make either of us vulnerable. I want to learn and that means training. Both of us need to train::

Misty smirked at them, quite aware that there was a silent argument going on.

"Still a sore spot, hm? You're rather sensitive for such a big hitter, Mewtwo."

He reared back a little, eyes wide at the audacity, and Misty gave him an unrepentant smile. Ash swallowed his laughter.

::I'm not sensitive!::

"I didn't say Ash is your keeper or trainer or whatever else you don't like. You're friends. Like Pikachu and Ash are friends." She met the fluctuating gaze. "But Ash and Pikachu trained. Together, learning weak spots and personal strengths. So what I meant is that Ash should know better! He is the one who traipsed all over the world, met all those people and Pokémon. He's a bottomless well of Pokémon knowledge, right down to physiology and medical needs. But the moment he connects with a psychic Pokémon of your caliber, he loses all common sense."

Ash shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.

Mewtwo transferred his gaze to the young man, mollified to a degree. ::She's right. You are slow, Ash Ketchum::

::Thanks. Look who's talking::

::Touché::

"You two were made for each other," Misty declared.

The small sting Mewtwo felt at the word 'made' quickly dissipated. This wasn't personal. Most of the time nothing uttered to him was that personal, and in certain circumstances it was meant as a joke or banter, little jibes and teasing.

::She's right:. Ash said, smiling at him. ::I think we were made for each other::

Mewtwo didn't reply, but his warm hug around Ash's mind was answer enough.

xXxXxxXxXxxXxXx

Misty dragged Ash around the gym, proudly presenting her work, her achievements, her plans for the future. The Water Pokémon Gym had been completely refurbished, was bigger, with more training areas, and daylight filtered in through gigantic skylights.

Ash was impressed.

Mewtwo had opted out of being seen by everyone. They had arrived early in the morning and by now the gym was filling up with young, aspiring trainers, all with starter Pokémon, and they were going through the motions.

Ash felt a wave of nostalgia as he watched them, looked into their earnest, young faces, and Misty elbowed him gently.

"Memories, hm?"

"Yeah. Lots of them. Only good."

_"Pika,"_ Pikachu agreed, avidly watching a young boy and his Squirtle as they tried out a few moves.

"You never thought about your own gym?"

"Maybe. A long time ago. Somewhere between wanting to be the best and realizing that I was psychically connected to a powerful Pokemon." Ash smiled a little as the Squirtle greatly overestimated itself and the boy was doused in water. "I decided it's not the way I want to go."

"To be stationary," she translated.

"Maybe. There is so much still out there, Misty. So many people who can teach me, who I can help, who can help me. There are places I want to see or see again."

She smiled softly. "You'd make a great teacher yourself, Ash Ketchum."

He chuckled. "Maybe."

"Definitely. But I know you. You won't ever be tied down."

"Probably."

"I repeat: definitely! Speaking of tying down: did you hear that Brock is ready to tie the knot."

Ash's brows shot up. "Really? Brock? Ladies man Brock? Who is the lucky girl?"

"She's a former trainer herself and her name is Inaki. He told me they met at come medical center. Brock was there for some kind of new breeding program and she was one of the speakers. He was head over heels."

"He always is."

"Yes, but this time it was really serious. Serious enough for him to propose and she actually said yes."

Ash smiled. "Good for him."

"Yeah. They have big plans. He's got a good rep as a breeder and a vet, and Inaki seems to have a knack for breeding rare Pokémon." She glanced at him and smirked. "Well, rare, non-legendary ones."

He snorted.

"Keep an eye on your mail folder. I think they're getting ready to announce a date. Not sure Mewtwo would be the plus one."

Ash grimaced at her and gave her a friendly shove. Misty shoved back and snickered.

"We can be each other's plus one," he offered.

"Sure. Psyduck might be disappointed, though."

"Brock would forever thank you for not bringing a Psyduck to his wedding."

They watched the children with their water Pokémon and Misty called out a few tips, getting relived thankyous in return.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"You know me."

"Bottomless void."

"What can I say?"

"You're no longer growing."

They walked toward the staff kitchen, still bantering, and Ash felt like back when they had been travelling together, enjoying the sharp wits and sharper tongue, the bright spark in his friend's eyes, and he knew it had been a good decision to stop by.

A very good one.

xXxXxxXxXxvxXxXx

"How bad was it?" Misty asked over lunch, finally breaching the topic they had skirted around all day long.

"Bad enough," he answered truthfully, pushing steamed vegetables around his plate. "Worse than Giovanni bad."

The red-head winced.

Ash told her in detail what had happened, what Howard Clifford had done, and the rage in her face would have scared the hardiest of men. Actually, Misty looked like she wanted to unleash her wrath on Clifford right this very moment.

"What a bastard!" she exploded.

"Yeah. And then some."

"And I thought Giovanni and Team Rocket had been bad."

"Well, no." Ash smiled humorlessly. "Giovanni had some decency left. He only wanted Mewtwo as a weapon. He never went as far as to erase his mind to use the body as his own."

Misty poked at her food, suddenly looking a lot less hungry. "Sick bastard," she muttered.

Ash whole-heartedly agreed.

"But we're good. Started to train. Nothing like near-annihilation of a mind to push you into acceptance."

She wagged a finger at him. "Told you. You might be the chosen one, and you did some seriously legendary stuff, downright freaky sometimes, especially after you got blasted by two insanely powerful psychic Pokémon, but you're still slow on the uptake sometimes."

"Noted."

She scowled at him. "This could have been more than bad, Ash."

"I know, Misty. I was there for the fallout. This tore his soul almost apart. Another might not have come out of this with his mind intact. If Clifford had won, Mewtwo wouldn't be there anymore."

She grimaced.

"And it drove home the point."

"Good. You always needed the extreme measures, Ketchum. A simply knock on the head didn't get through that thick skull. So, are you going to stay for a while? I have rooms for guests and fellow trainers." She raised her eyebrows. "And you can make use of the gym. It's off season and not much is going on, so if you want the full experience, let me know. I can close off space just for the two of you."

Ash smiled at her. "That actually sounds like an offer I can't resist."

"Knew it!"

xXxXxxXxXxxXxXx

It helped to have a gym to train in, even if it was water. There were other areas, not so well-frequented, and it was where both had privacy in the early and late hours of the day.

For Ash it was a familiar setting, the surroundings adapting to their needs, and spectators were kept out.

It still wasn't about fighting prowess and fire power. Mewtwo was a heavy hitter and could take punishment in a battle. For them it was about continuing the exploration of the depth of their connection, of reaching the other through psychic blocks in a setting that required Mewtwo to constantly adapt and Ash to try himself in a more active role.

Not that he had mysteriously developed active powers. Nope, nothing in that regard. What he managed was to reach out and envelop his partner in a mind shield, balancing him, keeping emotional spikes level.

Misty had some of her Pokémon try and disrupt them, right down to her Psyduck blasting the two unsuspecting partners so hard, Ash was having vertigo for the rest of the day and Mewtwo was glaring furiously at the gym's owner.

Misty regretted nothing.

Psyduck was bashful, agitated and quite pleased in one.

Sitting next to his human partner, Mewtwo fought down another murderous thought. He would never harm another Pokémon, nor would he hurt Misty, but still…

::We asked, she delivered:: Ash mumbled, eyes closed, still fighting the vertigo. He felt a little sick, but not bad enough to start throwing up. He was tougher than that.

Mewtwo had to agree that yes, that was exactly what had happened. He was simply extremely unhappy about Ash getting hurt.

::I'm okay, Mewtwo. Chill::

He growled softly, then caught himself.

_"Psy-duck?"_

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed at the water Pokémon, trying not to glare but failing. The Psyduck's eyes were huge, the pupils pinpricks, and it looked rather frightened. That it had approached the two partners showed its own development, aided by Misty's training.

"Hey," Ash said in a soft, friendly voice. "Hello, Psyduck."

_"Psyduck!"_

"No hard feelings. It's training. Thank you for your help."

_"Psyduckpsyduck!"_

Mewtwo towered over Ash, brows drawn down.

::Calm down. She's upset enough. One explosion was enough:: Ash told him.

::I am calm::

::Uh-huh::

_"Psyduck? Psypsyduck?"_

"Yes, I'm okay. And thank you again. You were a great help."

The little duck preened and nodded excitedly. Then she waddled off, looking immensely pleased.

Pikachu had watched it all with amusement. He looked at Ash, flicking an ear, then hopped after the happy Psyduck.

Ash closed his eyes and flopped back, an arm thrown over his head. A head that hurt.

Mewtwo reached out mentally and brushed over the aches, easing them one at a time. The tense lines disappeared.

"You're better than any pain pill."

::I would hope so. I also would hope that there won't be a repeat of this::

Ash cracked open an eye. "To get better, you repeat where you ailed."

Mewtwo glowered.

He lifted a corner of his mouth into a humorless smile. "But for now I agree."

::Good::

xXxXxxXxXxxXxXx

"You won't perfect this within just a few days," Misty told Ash as she joined him over a very late breakfast. "You had years and didn't really work on it. Don't expect it to just fall into your laps."

He chuckled, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I know. We reached the same conclusion a while ago, actually before coming here. It's a start. And I think we'll get a hang on being a team. I'm not leaving him alone. New book, new page, and all that."

"This will be an encyclopedia soon," she teased. "Hope you keep up on your reading skills."

Ash grinned.

::You are horrible at reading:: Mewtwo commented and touched down next to the two friends. ::You like to skip::

Misty burst out laughing and Ash rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Mewtwo. Really. Thank you."

The tiny smirk on his partner's lips was worth the teasing and Misty's laughter.

Mewtwo was loosening up more and more. It was like he allowed himself to be more open, to learn from the human he was linked to, and it surprised and pleased Ash to no end. Especially when it were wickedly sharp and teasing comebacks.

"I know you're way outside my expertise, even as a Gym Leader, but I can tell you that you're two sides of the same coin."

Ash raised his eyebrows.

"Offense," Misty said and pointed at Mewtwo, "defense," she continued and pointed at him.

Mewtwo gave her a thoughtful look. ::It is an appropriate description::

"Hm, yeah," Ash agreed. "Because I'm really only just the shield. I have no abilities."

The violet eyes narrowed a little. ::You are not 'just the shield', Ash Ketchum::

Ash met the intense gaze and found himself almost mesmerized by the force behind those eyes.

::You are my partner:: Mewtwo stated. ::You are my balance::

Ash's smile was open, warm, almost blinding. Misty grinned knowingly.

"Two sides," she repeated. "And that's how you learn. Listen to yourselves. You can work this out the same way you worked out everything, Ash. Absolute stubbornness coupled with determination, luck and your charming good looks."

He laughed. "Thanks, Misty."

"You're welcome. But seriously: go about this how you started everything, Ash. Think of it as a developing relationship with a Pokémon, Sure, you've known Mewtwo for years, but you never treated your partnership like you did everything else. You train, you learn, you grow. Just think outside the trainer box. Open up to new possibilities. Forget the rule book on Pokémon training. You two are unique in what you have. And if you ever need a place for a downtime, you know where to find me. Alternatively, I'll kick your butt from here to Alola."

Ash shook his head, chuckling. "I can't thank you enough, I believe."

"And you never will."

Mewtwo's tiny smile had Misty smile widely at him, eyes sparking with laughter.

xXxXxxXxXxxXxXx

He actually stayed longer than planned, spoke to Brock about his coming wedding, promising to be there, and he helped around the gym more and more. It was fun and Misty teased him relentlessly.

Ash finally packed every nook and cranny of their trusty RV with canned and dried food, liquids, utilities, and whatever else Misty declared he would need for going on a journey of undetermined length into the great unknown.

"Call," she told him sternly. "Email. Letters. Send a Pidgey. Whatever. I want to know how you two are doing."

"You're worse than my mother."

"Who is a very wise woman, like me. Listen to us, Ash Ketchum."

He hugged her. "I always do."

"Right. At least I know that Mewtwo is going to keep a very close eye on you."

Mewtwo simply inclined his head. ::I will::

Ash almost rolled his eyes.

xXx

Ash had no idea where they would go. There were so many places, like Sinnoh, like Alola. Or they could go somewhere completely new, which would be an adventure. There were a few corners of the world Ash hadn't been yet.

He met the violet eyes, smiling at his Pokémon partner. Mewtwo was completely open, his mind wrapped around Ash's, close.

::Ash?::

"Ready?"

::Of course::

Wherever they would go first, he just knew it was a journey unlike any he had ever taken on before.

fin!

Hope you enjoyed yourselves. I had a ton of fun writing in this universe!


End file.
